Gun manufacturers have fallen short in their efforts to replace the controversial G36 model. Defense Minister Ursula von Der Leyen's plan to phase in a new weapon has been delayed by eight months.
Image: picture-alliance/U. Baumgarten
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The German army's efforts to acquire a new standard automatic weapon for its troops have been delayed as gun manufacturers failed to provide suitable bids, the Sunday newspaper Welt am Sonntag reported.
The information came from a confidential report by the German Defense Ministry's procurement office (BAAINBw), made available to Die Welt.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen had announced in 2015 that the G36 rifle, which has been the Bundeswehr's standard gun since 1996, would be phased out. The decision was made after it was found that the rifle overheated and lost accuracy from intense use in hot weather.
A bidding process for the weapon's successor began in April of 2017 and culminated in February of this year. The list of companies bidding to provide the German army with its new rifle has not been disclosed, but it was expected that Heckler & Koch, the manufacturer of the ill-fated G36 would be among them.
According to the procurement office, the comparative tests in the following seven months revealed that none of the guns presented by the various weapons manufacturers fulfilled the "individual mandatory requirements."
Auditors found, for example, that weapons firms only submitted rifles with a 5.56 millimeter caliber despite the fact that some units in the army had required a larger 7.62 millimeter caliber weapon.
Gun manufacturers now have until February 2019 to correct their products' flaws and submit their guns for re-examination. As a result, the German army's timeline for the phasing in of the new weapon has been delayed by about eight months and added some €750,000 ($868,161) to the project's tab.
The procurement office warned that if the guns presented next year fail their examination, the bidding "would have to be terminated," which would mean that the Bundeswehr would not be able to replace the G36 for several years.
The German ministry of defense said that until a new rifle is introduced, the operational capability of the G36 was fully guaranteed, dismissing questions about the durability of the rifle in the long term.
jcg/aw (dpa, AFP, Reuters)
German military rocket tests cause two-week moorland fire
A fire caused by rocket tests has raged for two weeks across an area of moorland in northern Germany. Prosecutors are investigating after the armed forces were heavily criticized for the tests and their response to it.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L.-J. Klemmer
Raging fire
The fire was triggered when rockets tests in the moor by Germany's armed forces — the Bundeswehr — went awry. The rockets were fired from helicopters as part of the drill, but the all-terrain fire engine meant to put out the subsequent fire was out of action and its replacement was at the garage for maintenance work. The fire was thus able to spread quickly.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L.-J. Klemmer
Size of 1,000 football pitches
The fire has been raging near the northern town of Meppen for more than two weeks and has spread across an area the size of more than 1,000 soccer fields. More than 850 firefighters, both civilian and military, are trying to contain the flames. The smoke can even be seen from space, the German Weather Service (DWD) said.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Konjer
A tricky job
Firefighters' efforts are hampered by strong winds fanning the flames. Access to the moor is restricted as it is riddled with unexploded ordnance. The moor is also covered with peat, which is flammable and almost water-resistant. It causes a smoldering fire under the surface rather than flames such as those caused by burning wood, for example. The area has been used by the military since 1876.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Konjer
No evacuation, but plenty of smoke
The smoke from the fire is noticeable as far away as the city of Bremen, which is 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the moor near Meppen. Some even noticed it in Hamburg, which is more than twice as far away from the fire as Bremen. So far, no evacuation measures have been necessary, but it could take firefighters a few weeks more to put out the fire completely.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Schröer
Bundeswehr criticized
The Bundeswehr has said it would launch an investigation, but it has been criticized for conducting the tests, given the extremely dry conditions this summer. A Green party MP has even decided to sue the Bundeswehr. Local prosecutors have launched preliminary proceedings to ascertain who can be held responsible for the fire.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Konjer
Not the first time
According to the Bundeswehr, it is not the first time the moor in Meppen has burnt. In 2010, a fire raged there for six weeks. Some have now called for a ban on military weapons tests in moorlands in dry conditions.
