German Army Issues First New Heckler & Koch G95s

The German Army, the Deutsches Heer, has begun issuing its new service rifle - the G95A1. The Heckler & Koch HK416 A8, designated as the G95A1 and G95KA1, will replace the G36.

The first formal handover ceremony was held on December 4, at the Grafenwöhr training grounds. Lieutenant General Heico Hübner, the Deputy Inspector of the Army, and Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, Head of the Armaments Department at the Ministry of Defense, presented members of the 4th Company of the Panzergrenadier Battalion 122 with the first rifles. "This handover is more than just a milestone in modernization. It is a visible sign of the progress and operational readiness of our armed forces,” said Lieutenant General Hübner, “a soldier's personal weapon is not simply a piece of equipment. It is an expression of the highest responsibility: the tool in the core mission of every soldier. It must be absolutely reliable under all circumstances."

The Bundeswehr initially launched their program to select a new service rifle to replace the G36 in the spring of 2017. The HK416 A8 was selected in 2021 following a hard-fought selection process followed by court proceedings and patent wrangling with Haenel. The HK416 had previously been selected as the G95 by the German KSK and KSM special forces units.

The G95KA1 as issued differs in a number of ways from the configuration initially announced. The issued rifle has a standard slim-line HK416 stock rather than one with a cheek riser. Most notably the initially unveiled rifle has a very steep grip angle at an angle similar to the G36s. The G95A1 and G95KA1 have a more modern straight grip angle. The issued forend has MLOK interfaces and a gas regulator cutout rather than the earlier much shorter HKey iteration. Interestingly, rifles of this exact G95A1 configuration have recently been widely issued to elements of Ukraine’s special operations forces.

According to the Bundeswehr the rifles will be issued with an ELCAN Specter DR 1-4X and a 1x red dot sight. The photos taken at Grafenwöhr, however, feature the Hensoldt 4x ZO and RSA-S reflex sight which originated from the Infanterist der Zukunft (Infantryman of the Future) program. The G95A1 has a 419mm (16.5in) long barrel while the G95kA1 has a 355mm (14in) barrel. The G95A1 and KA1 weight (unloaded and without accessories) in at 3.4kg (7.5lbs) and 3.3kg (7.3lbs) respectively. With optics, accessories and a loaded magazine the weapons' weights increase by a kilogram.

One of the soldiers issued the new rifle, Sergeant Major Alex S., noted that "I immediately noticed that the G95 has better weight distribution. Compared to the G36, it's not as front-heavy. This allows you to maintain a shoulder position for longer, and you don't have to lower your aim as much."

According to the Bundeswehr’s announcement Germany has allocated an initial 25 million Euros ($30 million) to procure 13,929 G95A1s and 3,104 G95KA1s. In December 2022, the German Federal Ministry of Defence stated in a press release that the Bundeswehr could procure 118,718 new assault rifles for around 209 million Euros but the most recent announcement suggests as many as 250,000 new rifles could be procured.