In January 1973, the defense ministries of West Germany and Great Britain agreed on exchanging information on development of infantry weaponry and ammunition.
At the end of September/beginning October 1971, the weapon was fully completed with full automatic fire and chambered for 4.9 mm and fed from the side. The free-floating barrel design was found to contribute significantly to the precision of the weapon. To determine the precision, a laser was used, fired onto a film during the 3-shot burst. The study supposedly was conducted by the Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) (based in Weil am Rhein). To study the dispersion, a model firing 9×19mm and equipped with the reflexive sight was used. Sometime in 1970, the box magazine was selected. By 1970, studies progressed far enough to allow the construction of an automatic single- and 3-shot burst model but without full-automatic operation. The early side way ignition design gave way to a tail ignition design. Intensive tests were run by Heckler & Koch and Dynamit Nobel in search of a suitable ammunition. Numerous studies followed in the period between 19. On September 30, 1968, Hensoldt was commissioned for a study for further development. It was based on an old and nearly forgotten patent, and a modernized model had to be built by a master from the assembly department. In mid 1968, Hensoldt presented an affordable reflector sight. Because the weapon was to be short, only 37 cm would have been left for a sightline, too short for a common iron sight, so that was out of the question. However, it was dropped because of the cost. The Hensoldt AG, having delivered 100,000 optical sights for the G3, cooperated with H&K on developing a small sight with low power magnification which would allow target acquisition with both eyes. įrom the very beginning, it was obvious the required hit probability could not be achieved with common iron sights, hence, it was given equal importance.
The designers were given a free hand for the methods used, but Heckler & Koch realized that the only way to obtain any significant improvement was to radically change the approach. The terms of reference (specifications) were very general, calling for an improved infantry weapon with a better hit probability than any then in existence, yet fulfilling the FINABEL (named after France, Italy, Netherlands, Allemagne, Belgium and Luxembourg) range and rate of fire characteristics. During 1968–1969, the government of what was then West Germany started a feasibility study into a future assault rifle and three contracts were awarded respectively to Diehl, IWKA Mauser and Heckler & Koch (based in Oberndorf). NATO quickly lost interest in caseless ammunition but the West German Government held on. Three competitors were then nominated: one American, another Belgian, and finally the German Heckler & Koch. ĭevelopment began around 1967 when NATO launched the idea of adopting a second standard small-caliber ammunition.
Ultimately, the German armed forces replaced the G3 with the G36. Only 1000 units were ever produced, some of which made their way into the hands of the Bundeswehr. Although the weapon was a technical success, it never entered full production due to the political changes of German reunification and lack of procurement contract. In 1990, H&K finished the development of the G11, intended for the Bundeswehr and other NATO partners. In particular, versions of the G11 were included in the U.S. It was primarily a project of West Germany, though it was of significance to the other NATO countries as well. The rifle is noted for its use of caseless ammunition. The Heckler & Koch G11 is a non-production prototype assault rifle developed from the late 1960s–1980s by Gesellschaft für Hülsenlose Gewehrsysteme (GSHG) (German for "Association for Caseless Rifle Systems"), a conglomeration of companies headed by firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch (mechanical engineering and weapon design), Dynamit Nobel (propellant composition and projectile design), and Hensoldt Wetzlar (target identification and optic systems). Gas-operated, rotary breech (for G11 series)