Following on from the surprising news of yesterday, that C.G. Haenel MK556 rifle had won the German Army tender to replace the Heckler & Koch G36, confirmation has now been officially announced.

Below you can find the official Press Release and communication from the Federal Ministry of Defence in Germany.

This is a machine translated text from German. There is no official translation into English available.

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.

Below you can see a picture of the original Press Release in German, and here you can find it in a text version in the original language.

A Google Satellite view of the C.G. Haenel GmbH and Caracal GmbH facility in Germany, at Schützenstraße 26, in Suhl. The companies are a part of the EDGE Group, headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A close-up of the piston of the Haenel.

The civilian version of the C.G. Haenel CR223 with a suppressor from B&T. B&T are partnered with Haenel but it has not yet been confirmed that thier suppressor is part of the package to be procured by the Bundeswehr.

While both of the finalist companies have been advised of the procurement program’s result. The funding for the rifle still needs to be ratified by the German government and the procurement appeals process may still be initiated to challenge the selection decision.

Source: Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)

You can find the website of C.G. Haenel Defence here. TFB will continue to follow the subject closely and update you with any development.