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Haenel MK 556

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Haenel MK 556
The Haenel CR223 semi-auto version of the MK 556 rifle
TypeAssault rifle
Carbine
Place of originGermany
Service history
In service2020-present
Production history
DesignerC. G. Haenel
ManufacturerC. G. Haenel
Specifications
Mass3.6 kg (7.94 lb) 408 mm barrel
3.5 kg (7.7 lb) 368 mm barrel
3.4 kg (7.5 lb) 318 mm barrel
3.35 kg (7.4 lb) 266 mm barrel
Length923–838 mm (36.34–32.99 in) 408 mm barrel
838–798 mm (33.0–31.4 in) 368 mm barrel
812–748 mm (32.0–29.4 in) 318 mm barrel
781–696 mm (30.7–27.4 in) 266 mm barrel
Barrel length408 mm (16.1 in)
368 mm (14.5 in)
318 mm (12.5 in)
266 mm (10.5 in)
Cartridge5.56×45mm NATO
ActionShort-stroke piston, rotating bolt
Feed system30-round detachable STANAG magazine, 100-round detachable Beta C-Mag
References[1]

The Haenel MK 556 (German: Maschinenkarabiner)[2] is a gas-operated selective-fire 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle designed by C. G. Haenel in Germany. The MK556 was finalised in September 2020, and it is a fully automatic version of an earlier Haenel design, the CR223, which was already in limited use by law enforcement agencies since 2017.[3] On 14 September 2020, the Haenel MK 556 was selected by the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) as a replacement for the G36, making it the first service rifle used by the Bundeswehr by a company other than Heckler & Koch.[4][2]

History

"Assault Rifle System" tender for the Bundeswehr

On 21 April 2017, the German Ministry of Defence began its program by putting out a tender to look for a service rifle to replace the Heckler & Koch G36, which has been standard issue in the Bundeswehr since the 1990s.[5] The main issue cited with the G36 was that it became inaccurate when it overheated, either because of continuous fire, or the climate it was in.[6]

Several companies participated, including SIG Sauer with the SIG MCX and Rheinmetall/Steyr with the RS556, but both dropped out early.[7] According to Die Zeit, SIG asserted that the tests were not impartial, and were given insufficient testing ammunition in response to their complaints.[8] The only companies who remained were Heckler & Koch with two separate rifles, the HK416 and the HK433, and C. G. Haenel with the (second generation) MK 556.[2] Heckler & Koch had criticized the Ministry of Defence in 2019 for the strict requirements, advocating for a larger caliber and complaining about a lack of expertise and neutrality in the proceedings.[9]

Tender choice

In September 2020, the MK 556 won the "Assault Rifle System" tender for the future service rifle of the Bundeswehr.[10] According to the German Press Agency (DPA) "C.G. Haenel presented a weapon that, in extensive tests, was somewhat better tailored to the requirements of the military and also proved to be economically advantageous."[11] The program put out a tender to replace the G36, System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr , calling for up to 120,000 new rifles including accessories with an estimated total worth of €245 million without VAT. In order for the rifle to see production, a parliamentary consensus is required. The first set of rifles are scheduled to be sent in the final week of October 2020, and the weapon's laser sights, optics, and other attachments in mid-December.[12] Some of the requirements were a rifle chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO or 7.62×51mm NATO, with ambidextrous controls, a maximum weight of 3.6 kg (7.94 lb) without a magazine and aiming optics, box magazines with an empty maximum weight of 160 grams (5.6 oz) and a receiver service life of at least 30,000 rounds (barrel 15,000 ball or 7,500 hard-core rounds) as well as interchangeable long- and short-barrel variants. Accessories required included bayonet, sound suppressor, drum magazine, bipod, forward grip, special bolt for training cartridges, cartridge case catching bag, cleaning kit, carry sling and transport bag.[13]

The rifle should be able to function in areas with climate categories A1-3, B1-3, C0-3 and M1-3 according to STANAG 4370 Environmental Testing Procedures without restriction (with the exception of electrical components).[14][15]

The decision for the MK 556 was announced on 15 September 2020, but competitors can contest it within two weeks.[16] The same day the decision was announced, the Ministry of Defence released an official statement:

"Berlin, 15 September 2020

The “assault rifle” (System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr) award procedure has made another major step forward. From the now completed evaluation of the offers by the registration office of the procurement office in Koblenz, C.G. Haenel GmbH, limited liability company, emerged as the winner of the tender.

On May 14, 2020, the bidders remaining in the System Assault Rifle Basic Weapon award procedure were asked to submit a Best And Final Offer (BAFO). The deadline for submitting bids ended on June 15, 2020. The bids received from the bidders have meanwhile been evaluated by the contracting authority.

From this evaluation, the C.G. Haenel GmbH, a limited liability company, emerged as the winner of the tender. The result of the evaluation is not yet legally effective. Legal recourse is always open to unsuccessful bidders.

The decision of the registry is also subject to parliamentary approval in the context of the €25 million bill. The documents required for this are currently being prepared, with the aim of a parliamentary referral at the end of 2020."[17]

On 21 September 2020 C.G. Haenel announced it wants to manufacture the rifles mainly in Germany. The German production share should be 90 percent and benefit the economic region in southern Thuringia.[18]

Legal steps regarding the decision

On 15 September 2020 Heckler & Koch announced they were examining legal steps regarding the decision.[19][20]

On 24 September 2020 Heckler & Koch announced the company has lodged a complaint with the procurement office against the outcome of the bidding process. The complaint can also later be used by the unsuccessful bidder for further legal steps against the award.[21] According to Heckler & Koch they had called a price well below the maximum volume, but Haenel had undercut it by a further €51 million.[22]

On 29 September 2020 the dpa reported that Heckler & Koch took further legal action effectively suspending the process. The legal dispute is likely not to come to an end during 2020. According to the dpa, the initial bid of Heckler & Koch was €235 million, which was ultimately lowered to €179 million. The final offer of Haenel undercut Heckler & Koch's final offer by about €50 million.[23][24] According to Business Insider reporting on a secret report on 5 October 2020, Haenel offered the MK 556 assault rifles including accessories for around €152 million, including 19 percent VAT. Heckler & Koch offered their rifles for €179 million, making Haenel's final offer €27 million or 18 percent cheaper. Regarding the choice the secret report literally says: “The main criterion is the lower price, with a technically comparable performance.” The offered rifles all passed the Federal German Armed Forces Technical Center for Weapons and Ammunition (WTD 91) tests. The overall project risk is assessed by the procurement office experts as “medium”. The intended contract with C.G. Haenel apparently has a number of tough clauses and regulations to protect the Bundeswehr against risks.[25][26]

Political views

Bundestag (German federal parliament) representatives of the Grüne and FDP political parties protested against awarding the Suhl, Thuringia-based bidder C.G. Haenel, because it is a subsidiary of other companies that are financially owned by the United Arab Emirates, who are involved in the Yemeni Civil War. Bundestag representatives of the CDU and CSU political parties, that together with the SPD support the German government, do not share the views of the Grüne and FDP regarding awarding C.G. Haenel. Landtag of Thuringia FDP representative Robert-Martin Montag deems the expressed award criticism regarding C.G. Haenel as absurd. If you follow the arguments of the Grüne and FDP Bundestag representatives, you shouldn't import oil from Saudi Arabia or buy Mercedes-Benz cars because Kuwait has a stake in Daimler. Both countries are also involved in the Yemeni Civil War. The Ministry of Defense stated that the ownership structure of bidder C.G. Haenel should not play a legal role in the proceedings. Its procurement office is bound by tender legislation and was only allowed to consider quality and price.[27]

Design and features

Short-stroke gas piston

The MK 556 is a gas operated, select fire assault rifle that fires from a closed rotary bolt.

The MK 556 is based on the AR-15 platform ergonomic architecture, but uses a short-stroke gas piston operating system (unlike the AR-15's piston-operated gas impingement system) with a user-adjustable gas system.[2] With the help of the regulator, the gas system can be adjusted to function reliably with various propellant, projectile, fouling, operating environment and configuration specific pressure behavior. The cold hammer forged barrel has a 178 mm (7.0 in) twist rate and features a standard A2-style flash suppressor at its muzzle end.[1]

The MK 556 shares many features with the CAR 816 assault rifle, manufactured under licence by C. G. Haenel on behalf of its parent company, Caracal International,[28] under the EDGE Group,[29] and the Haenel CG 223 semi-automatic rifle, which is designed for use by civilians, police and law enforcement agencies alike. These rifles share a modular construction to simplify substitution of parts and are compatible with furniture and other accessories that conform to the AR-15/M16/M4 standard.[30]

Stock

The MK 556 has a three piece stock.

The MK 556 handguard features four STANAG 4694 NATO Accessory Rails that are backwards-compatible with the STANAG 2324/MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail.[1] These allow for direct accessory attachment onto the rail mounting points, and can be removed without the usage of tools.[30]

The shoulder stock or buttstock is a telescoping 6 position type stock which is adjustable for length of pull.[1]

The adjustable pistol grip is located behind the trigger and completes the stock.[30]

Trigger

The MK 556 uses a direct trigger with a trigger pull set at 32 N (7.2 lbf).[1]
A two-stage trigger with a pressure point that can be set at 15 N (3.4 lbf) trigger pull is available for precision orientated users.[30]

Fire selector

The fire and safety selector settings are marked with letters: "S"—safe ("Sicher"), "E"—semi-automatic fire ("Einzelfeuer") and "F"—continuous fire ("Feuerstoß"). The three position fire selector can be ordered in 0°/60°/120° or – like in the M16 family of service rifles – 0°/90°/180° rotation between the settings.[1]

Sights

The MK 556's basic version features rail mounted polymer flip up sights. The integrated rail on the upper receiver and its continuation on the handguard at the 12 o'clock position allows for the adaptation of various aiming optics.[1][30]

Feeding

The MK 556 features a Draft STANAG 4179 compliant magazine well and is fed with STANAG magazines with a standard capacity of 30 rounds. Other STANAG compatible box and drum magazines can be used.[1]

Users

Country Organization name Model Quantity Date Reference
 Germany The MK 556 was selected by the Bundeswehr on the 14th of September 2020 to replace the G36 as its service rifle MK 556 118,718 rifles to be delivered from 2023 to 2026 2020 [2][31]
Hamburg Police SEK CR 223 Unknown number in use 2017 [32][33]
Saxony Police Unknown number in use, 2,300 ordered [34][35]
 Poland Polish Police ordered the MK 556 as a replacement for the Heckler & Koch HK416 MK 556 546 ordered (279 mm (11.0 in) barrels) 2019 [36][37]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Haenel Defence MK 556". C.G. Haenel GmbH. Retrieved 2020-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e Waldemar Geiger: "System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr – C.G. Haenel gewinnt Ausschreibung um die G-36-Nachfolge" soldat-und-technik, 14 September 2020
  3. ^ Newdick, Thomas. "Here Is The Surprise Choice To Become Germany's Standard Assault Rifle". The Drive. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Waffenschmiede Haenel aus Thüringen soll neues Sturmgewehr liefern". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  5. ^ "Haenel MK556 is a new Assault Rifle for the Bundeswehr (CONFIRMED)". fragoutmag.com. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2020-09-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Borrud, Gabriel (2015). "Heckler & Koch G36: the rifle held in all the wrong places". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Steyr-Mannlicher STM-556 / Rheinmetall-Steyr RS-556 Assault Rifle". modernfirearms.net. Retrieved 2020-09-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Bundeswehr will Sturmgewehr von Thüringer Waffenhersteller beziehen". zeit.de (in German). Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  9. ^ Müller, Björn (2019-10-12). "Difficult G36 Replacement – Unrealistic demands on the future German Bundeswehr assault rifle?". offiziere.ch. Retrieved 2020-09-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ "Haenel MK 556 – das Sturmgewehr. Entwickelt und produziert in Suhl, Germany". cg-haenel.de (in German). 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2020-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ "German army selects Haenel MK 556 assault rifle to replace H&K G36". armyrecognition.com. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2020-09-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Boguslavsky, Eyal. "Haenel MK556 chosen as new assault rifle of German Army". Israel Defense.
  13. ^ "Germany Selects Haenel MK 556 to Replace HK G36 in Surprise Move". tactical-life.com.
  14. ^ "AECTP 300 CLIMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL TESTS (AECTP 300 is one of 5 documents included in STANAG 4370)" (PDF). 2006. Retrieved 2020-09-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Wiegold, T. (2017-04-21). "Bundeswehr schreibt Auftrag für G36-Nachfolger aus – 120.000 Gewehre geplant". augengeradeaus.net (in German). Retrieved 2020-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Bundeswehr wählt Sturmgewehr von Haenel" Der Spiegel, 15 September 2020
  17. ^ B, Eric. "German Ministry of Defence Confirms C.G. Haenel is the Winner". The Firearm Blog.
  18. ^ "Haenel will Sturmgewehr überwiegend in Deutschland fertigen". mdr.de (in German). 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ PRESSEMITTEILUNG Heckler & Koch Statement zur Vergabeentscheidung der Bundeswehr Oberndorf, 15. September 2020
  20. ^ "Major order for assault rifles – Heckler & Koch is considering lawsuit". personal-financial.com. 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ "Heckler & Koch wehrt sich gegen Ministeriums-Entscheidung". mdr.de (in German). 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "Heckler & Koch takes action against the Ministry of Defense". personal-financial.com. 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-09-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Heckler & Koch stoppt Sturmgewehr-Vergabe vorerst (dpa:200929-99-757929/2)". sueddeutsche.de (in German). 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-09-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "Bundeswehr: Heckler & Koch slows down armaments orders to competitors". tellerreport.com. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-10-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Petersen, Lars (2020-10-05). "Geheimpapier: Das zahlt die Bundeswehr wirklich für das neue Sturmgewehr – und so knapp verlor die Waffenschmiede Heckler & Koch das Duell". businessinsider.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-10-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ Petersen, Lars (2020-10-05). "Neues Sturmgewehr: Die geheimen Klauseln im Waffen-Vertrag mit der Bundeswehr". businessinsider.de (in German). Retrieved 2020-10-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ "Grüne- und FDP-Politiker gegen Sturmgewehr-Auftrag an Haenel". mdrde (in German). 2020-10-04. Retrieved 2020-10-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "Test: Haenel CR-223 semi-automatic competition rifle". all4shooters.com. 2014-11-12. Retrieved 2020-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ "The German Military Replacing the H&K G36 With a Haenel Carbine". nationalinterest.org. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Haenel Defence CR 223, CR 308 and MK 556 bochure" (PDF). cg-haenel.de. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  31. ^ B, Eric. "Germany's Next Assault Rifle: More Details On The Future Deliveries". The Firearm Blog.
  32. ^ B, Eric. "Hamburg Police (Germany) issuing HK MP5 and Haenel CR223 (AR15)". The Firearm Blog.
  33. ^ B, Eric. "Hamburg Police having issues with their new AR15s and ammunition". The Firearm Blog.
  34. ^ "Suhler Waffenhersteller C.G. Haenel liefert Gewehre an Polizei in Sachsen". mdr.de (in German). 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2020-09-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  35. ^ "Neue Mitteldistanzwaffe für die Polizei Sachsens". esut.de (in German). 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2020-09-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ "Nowa broń dla policji. Ponad pół tysiąca karabinków za 6 milionów złotych". tech.wp.pl (in Polish). 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2020-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  37. ^ "Haenel MK556 dla Policji". milmag.pl (in Polish). 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2020-09-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haenel CR223.
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