Bundeswehr had planned since the mid-1990s to adopt a substitute for excellent famous rifle Heckler & Koch G.3 new shooting complex, consisting of rifles and unusual G.11 4.73 mm caseless cartridge, due to strong opposition from NATO structures, carry out their program from the standardization of military equipment and weapons, including small arms weapons and their ammunition, failed to implement its own project. Germans, ignoring the agreement of NATO standardization 5.56mm cartridges for small weapons (standard STANAG 4172) was calculated on the standardization of this instrument not only in Germany, and in several other countries — members of the North Atlantic bloc. Already in 1991, the Bundeswehr was 1000 G.11 rifles for experienced military operation. But the hopes of West military fate was not realized. Reunification in 1990, the German eastern and western lands and related costs enormous sums put an end to many expensive handbills on rearmament new tool, and including retooling the armed forces of Germany with new standards of small weapons — rifles G.11.
In addition, a unified Germany ctolknulas with another nuance of this problem. Adopting 5.56 mm small guns in virtually all armies of NATO member countries and the multinational force frisky response comprising the North Atlantic bloc, which included some of the Bundeswehr, the Germanic bezotstupno sought unification with its allies, if, at least, not in arms, then certainly Munitions. In this regard, Germany was obliged to renounce his own almost completely prepared for large-scale production under unusual G.11 rifle cartridge and re-start work on assault rifles, designed for the introduction of 5.56 mm NATO cartridge parts to equip the German army.
In 1992, senior military control a day or put on the agenda the question of adoption of a new system Bundeswehr infantry gun in the framework of the «Infantryman of the future» («Infanterist der Zukunft» — IDZ), which was to include an assault rifle and a uniform with her easy machine gun, absolutely does not replace a single gun MG.3, and served as a supplement to it, and be used as a tool to support infantry units.
But after a September 1, 1993 tactical and technical specifications by the working group of professionals from the Federal Office for the purchase of arms, it became clear that none of the available samples assault rifle not a hundred percent satisfied the new requirements. Basic is competitive struggle ensued between the German company Heckler & Koch and Austrian Steyr-Daimler-Puch.
And then the leading German arms company Heckler & Koch GmbH has once again managed to show their highest business and organizational features. In the short time of its designers make a new lightweight and quite affordable family automatic guns brand name Heckler & Koch — NK.50 assault rifle and machine gun MG.50, which were many features vastly better known Steyr AUG rifles and 77 machine gun on its base AUG / HBAR.? After adopting the new standards received indexes G.36 and MG .36, respectively. But financial difficulties in Germany was the main prerequisite that the management of the armed forces of Germany in 1994, took the decision to purchase a fundamentally just only 33,500 rifles and G.36 made on the basis of their 200 machine guns MG.36 5.56 mm weapons as reference only limited tools for parts frisky response Bundeswehr.
Heckler & Constructors Koch in his own weapons abandoned now classic scheme of automatic weapons in this company, based on the use of the recoil energy when motionless delayed blowback system trunk and locking the barrel — breeding horizontal roller shutter, used by 7.62 mm assault rifle G. 3. They are also not satisfied and regular and reliable scheme Russian Kalashnikov assault rifle — bore locking rotating bolt on the two lugs. German newcomer G.36 rifle was built on a standard assembly scheme in which automatic had a very rational and at the same time quite ordinary and efficient design borrowed in U.S. M.16 rifle.
Rifle Heckler & Koch G.36 consisted of: the receiver with the barrel and carrying handle with telescopic sight; folding butt; moving parts of automation; The trigger handle with fire control; receiver store; shop; forearm and bayonet-knife.
Automatic assault rifle G.36 worked on the principle of removal of powder gases. Feature implements G.36 was a unique design of the gas side of the motor, made with the division-leading mobile parts automation system — bolt, independent of the gas piston rod with a small swing. Gas piston and rod are pressurized propellant gases to the front of the gate, taking him to the rear position. The barrel is locked family lugs (which call for military ledges slide box) when you turn the shutter by shutter stem cam slot 30 degrees. This decision gave the exhaust system a relatively easy opportunity to rifle, so reducing the impact of moving parts makarom automation tools for stability and reducing the weight of the locking unit.
The trigger mechanism G.36, a similar mechanism rifle G.3, aggregate type, assembled in a special box, along with pistol grip fire control and trigger guard, which is very comfortable to use. Box with a trigger mechanism attached to the receiver using the cross pins. Striking mechanism hammer type. The trigger mechanism allows keeping single and automatic fire. Flag interpreter type of fire, he’s fuse — two-sided, mounted on a box above the pistol grip. His only move huge finger. The trigger mechanism is available in several versions — with only a single lamp; with single and automatic fire; with a single and a cutoff line for 2 rounds; single, 2 cartridge and automatic fire.
G.36 family of assault rifles
Receiver design and cocking knob allows you to fire both from the right and from the left shoulder. G.36 rifle reloading mechanism is designed as a spring-loaded automatic folding handles attached to the slide frame and acting on the movable parts of the retracting handle backwards. Handle reloading, located on top of the receiver, stowed guns placed along the axis and is held in this position by a spring, for cocking it can recline to the left or to the right by 90 degrees. When firing handle reloading moves together with the bolt. In its design, compared to the same node rifle G.3, were made countless configurations significantly improve the functioning of the mechanism of reloading in the complicated criteria. Lack of slots for the handle reloading receiver box protects against contamination. Removal of spent cartridges through ejection port, located on the right side of the receiver. Above the handle on top of the reloading receiver mounted removable plastic handle for carrying guns, located above the center of mass of the rifle.
For the convenience of shooting sights were raised and mounted in the back of the handle for carrying guns. It features one of the latest German rifle G.36 applies complete absence of mechanical sighting devices: sight and foresight — they substitute built-in handle for carrying unchanging 3x optical sight
ZF 340, calculated at a range of 200 to 800 m with laser pointer type «red dot». Not counting the optical sight rifle G.36 also armed with red-dot sight (mounted on the upper part of the optical sight), which allows to deliver aimed fire at close range up to 200 m In addition, the handle for carrying guns likely setting night bespodsvetochnym sight of Hensoldt NSA 80 AG in the industrial group Zeiss, NIGHT MODE similar conduct aimed fire in the criteria of natural light from the moon and stars at point-blank range on the chest figure up to 350 m
A new tool designed for troops operating in difficult weather criteria other than its own rather large combat characteristics different to the same compact, as in the transport position synthetic stock frame type, leaning to the right along the receiver, to reduce the overall length of 1000 mm with guns to 758 mm, which is very comfortable during landing and landing fighter of armored vehicles, helicopters, etc.
Power is supplied from a standard 30-round magazine capacity of 30 rounds. Top is made of transparent plastic (for visual monitoring of the presence of ammo) and on the sidewalls has special tides, which are intended for mounting spare magazine. Loading the magazine is made of a special device, which consists of 10 races and charging adapter. Shops in combat criteria attached to arms or twin structure (ie, worn specifically on arms ammunition rounds 60-90). Because the receiver stores in G.36 rifle made in accordance with NATO standards, you can use any standard shops for 5.56mm NATO ammunition.
Fighter with a 5.56 mm assault rifle G.36, curb UGL AG.36
Receiver made way stamping of sheet steel. At the same time, many elements of the rifle designed with the use of the latest advanced manufacturing processes, including investment casting, structural shapes, stamping, to introduce the achievements of powder metallurgy. To simplify and reduce the cost of production in the rifle used extensively for the production box the trigger, hand guard, butt and shops polymeric materials of high-impact glass fiber reinforced polyamide. Plastic, glass fiber reinforced, and the body shop is done, while its cover — steel.
All metal parts are covered with a special rifle G.36 heat-insulating coating, which to a large extent possible to lower the thermal radiation weapon during firing and thus affected the decrease telltale signs, complicating enemy notch shooters thermal imaging devices in night criteria.
Brand new rifle pointed at the test and trial operation the highest fighting properties. With all of this Spice was awarded the highest stability when administered guns fire bursts, tipping point during shooting actually absent. This was due to the fact that the growth of resistance when firing guns moving parts automatic rifles were placed above the barrel, and the bed on the same axis with the barrel. It is also characterized by a low level of sound when fired. When conducting automatic rifle fire on the accuracy of G.36 fight did not yield the best specimen of such Western instruments. So, when shooting small bursts at a distance of 100 m to 5 shots dissipation does not exceed 12 cm West German gunsmiths were able to reach and also good performance, including G.36 rifle differs large barrel life (10,000 shots), durability and reliability . The main type of rifle fire G.36 — automatic, while shooting is small bursts — up to 5 shots longish queues from the machine — up to 10 rounds of machine gun LMG.36 — up to 15 shots, also in continuous.
On the basis of the company G.36 rifle Heckler & Koch developed a whole family of unified tools include: machine gun and assault rifles LMG.36 G.36 G.36 K and C.
It features one of the newest rifles NC G.36 is the possibility of its transformation into a frisky autorifle LMG.36, installation method with a light weighted barrel stamped bipod, which served to stabilize the gun when firing bursts and double drum store C-MAG, tn . «Saddle-shaped», a capacity of 100 rounds, which significantly expanded the potential ability of this gun. Shop C-MAG was created by the American company BETA Co for M16 in accordance with the standard NATO STANAG 4179 and very successfully used by the Germans for their own machine gun. Barrel length in both versions (rifles and light machine guns) is similar — 480 mm.
West German military experts at right behind the Yankees, created based on his own M-16 rifles whole palette samples of small guns (ranging from assault rifles and ending with a submachine gun), and Russian designers (with its unified family of guns AK-74/AKS-74 K / RPK-74) also started to develop other than an assault rifle and machine gun, and other personal samples automatic guns.
In terms of tactical use of small guns remained open niche that previously occupied sub-machine guns, ie, automatic cannon, designed for shooting at close range, which was justified with respect to the introduction of a low-power pistol cartridge. Combat experience with the Yankees in Vietnam 5.56 mm assault rifles shortened Solt Kommando XM 177 and M 4, adopted by the partial arming parts spacialist U.S. Army impressively proved the necessity of the presence of troops in such a small-sized tools that are specific criteria in the town, forest, tropical thickets, etc. could change the rifle and submachine gun. The Bundeswehr is also needed in the arms of a similar type.
Because designers Heckler & Koch made for specific parts of the Bundeswehr on the basis of her rifle G.36 G.36 K shortened version with a barrel length of 318 mm. Reducing the length of the barrel caused the need for enhanced muzzle brake, because it considerably increased recoil. For special operations shortened rifle G.36 K can be fitted except night sight laser designator and tactical flashlight with halogen lamp. The main advantage of the latest rifles G.36 K, compared with pistols, machine guns, was the introduction of one for the whole infantry gun 5.56 mm cartridge.
In 1996, a new set of small 5.56 mm guns — rifles G.36, G.36 K rifles and machine guns MG.36 — was officially adopted by the Bundeswehr in the first quarter of the same year the company Heckler & Koch has mastered their mass production. Especially for export purposes was developed lightweight version of rifles and machine guns Series 36 — G.36 E, G.36 and KE MG.36 E (at the present time the designation G.36 V, G.36 KV and V respectively MG.36 ) filled with 1.5-fold without sight laser designator such as «red dot». And soon there is another modification of this instrument — a small version of the assault rifle G.36 C (C — Compact), which instead of the carrying handle guns has universal guide rails Picatinny MIL-STD-1913 for mounting scopes of all types, which are mounted on the deck sights.
Soldiers with 5.56 mm assault carbine G.36 C
The first test of the new combat harsh German guns was part of the Bundeswehr in the military conflict in Kosovo. After several months of operation, the criteria are very close to the fighting (as the Germans in real fights actually participated), it confirmed its highest gun fighting properties, including reliability in all, including the most adverse operating criteria, convenience the proclamation and service, higher maintainability. Currently, all soldiers of the German Bundeswehr armed with rifles G.36/G.36 K and machine guns LMG.36. Family G.36/MG.36 guns widely used by 2001 units and formations of the Bundeswehr who are in Afghanistan. A certain number of German assault rifles G.36 was taken as booty during the Russian soldiers repel Georgian anger in South Ossetia in 2008.
Together with the Bundeswehr assault rifles G.36 were adopted in 1999 for service of the armed forces of Spain, Lithuania, and then — the law enforcement agencies of England, several Scandinavian countries and a number of law enforcement agencies in the U.S., as the Special Forces mission in Poland, Albania, France.
Specifically for the civilian market-based assault rifle Heckler & Company G.36 Koch has mastered the creation of semi-automatic rifles SL.8, a trigger mechanism, designed only to conduct a single lamp under maloimpulsnogo patron.223 Remington.
G.36 rifle and modifications made based on it, are upscale standards of small guns: light, comfortable and durable.
Created by Sergey Monetchikov