Heckler & Koch has been informed today that none of its two offers in the assault rifle tender of the German Armed Forces will be successful. "Subject to a thorough legal review, we regret this decision," said CEO Jens Bodo Koch. "At the same time, we are absolutely convinced of the quality of both the HK416 and the HK433. This quality has also been confirmed to us by the German Armed Forces in the context of this tender. We have nothing to fear in terms of competition with our products."

This is also reflected in the still very full order books. "The number of orders from all over the world is higher than we can currently process and demand remains high," Koch continued. "Heckler & Koch is and remains a profitable company."

Landed with the Special Forces, but not in the Bundeswehr tender for the G36 successor: the HK416 from Heckler & Koch.

For this reason, there are no immediate consequences for the employees at the Oberndorf site from the management's perspective. "After the change of majority shareholder some weeks ago, we stated that the jobs in Oberndorf are safe. This has not changed," explained CFO Björn Krönert.

The offer made by Heckler & Koch for the new assault rifle of the German Armed Forces was based on the company's broad experience with orders of this size, on a realistic and conscientious cost calculation for a high-tech product, and on the company's responsibility for preserving 950 jobs at the Oberndorf site. The triad of tradition, know-how, and entrepreneurial responsibility has led to Heckler & Koch products being sought after worldwide for more than 70 years.

Not Bundeswehr: the newly designed HK433 from Heckler & Koch.

For the Bundeswehr tender, Heckler & Koch further improved the already technically advanced HK416 and demonstrably met all tender conditions. Since its market launch, this rifle has evolved into the European assault rifle. It is in service in numerous NATO countries, as a standard weapon in Norway, France, and the US Marine Corps, as well as an assault rifle alongside many others with the Special Forces of the USA, Poland, and the UK. Currently, the Special Forces Command of the Bundeswehr (KSK) and the combat divers are introducing this weapon as the G95k.

"We will now thoroughly review the decision legally and exhaust all legal options," said CEO Jens Bodo Koch.

HERE we present the MK556 on SPARTANAT.

The German Armed Forces on the Internet: www.bundeswehr.de

HECKLER & KOCH on the Internet: www.heckler-koch.com