HK G11
| HK G11 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| general information | |
| Military designation: | G11 |
| Developer / Manufacturer: | Heckler |
| Development year: | 1968-1990 |
| Manufacturer country: |
 Germany
|
| Weapon Category: | Assault rifle |
| Furnishing | |
| Overall length: | 752 mm |
| Total height: | 290 mm |
| Total width: | 58-64 mm |
| Weight: (unloaded) | 3.8 kg |
| Barrel length : | 540 mm |
| Technical specifications | |
| Caliber : | 4.73 x 33 mm |
| Possible magazine fillings : | 45 cartridges |
| Cadence : | 500/2000 rounds / min |
| Fire types: | Single fire , 3-shot burst , continuous fire |
| Visor : | Reflex sight , ZF |
| Closure : | Roller shutter |
| Charging principle: | Gas pressure charger |
| Lists on the subject | |
The G11 rifle is an assault rifle by the German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch , which was developed between 1968 and 1990. The weapon uses special caseless ammunition with a caliber of 4.73 × 33 mm .
history
At the end of the 1960s, when the introduction of new calibres for handguns was being discussed in the Bundeswehr , several companies received study contracts for new weapon concepts from the Ministry of Defense. The following characteristics were given:
- small caliber,
- compact design,
- low susceptibility to failure,
- easy handling,
- great accuracy.
Absolute functional reliability was a decisive factor for the Ministry of Defense, and in order to achieve this, it was also possible to compromise on precision. In the course of the first development attempts it became clear that the required properties could not all be combined in a handgun of conventional design. The decision was then made to develop a new weapon which, thanks to its caseless ammunition and the locking system floating in the weapon, should meet the criteria of precision and accuracy. A reflex sight from Hensoldt-Werke should serve as the sighting device .
The first prototypes were presented in October 1971, which still used the 4.9 mm caliber and a side ammunition feed. However, the two systems proved the fundamental feasibility of the required features. In 1974 Dynamit Nobel switched the production of caseless ammunition to 4.3 mm, which set back the production of new prototypes by a few months. These were only available in July 1975 and, when tested in burst mode, already yielded 1,800 rounds / minute. However, the problem of the weapon overheating due to the missing metal case was already evident here.
In the following year, the caliber was changed again because the bullet did not perform as expected. So the ammunition and the weapon system were changed to 4.75 mm. The reflex sight was dropped in favor of a telescopic sight. The final 4.73 mm caliber was introduced in 1979. By 1989, when the final prototype was manufactured, the external appearance of the weapon was changed several times and the use of different materials for the housing was tested. This last version was called the G11 K2. During this time the G11 went through several comparative tests of different nations; the Bundeswehr tested 27 copies at various military schools.
The armed forces certified the weapon as being suitable for troops in 1990. After the reunification of Germany, however, it was decided not to introduce the weapon into the Bundeswehr. Since 1976 more than 90 million DM tax money has flowed into the project. On June 25, 1993, the Ministry of Defense finally confirmed that the G11 would not be procured for the Bundeswehr.
The rifle 's technology was licensed from AAI Corporation for the Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program in 2004 .
Special features of the construction
Three-shot burst
When developing the weapon, H&K attached particular importance to the possibility of a three-shot burst to ensure a high hit probability with acceptable ammunition consumption. The weapon has to fire the projectiles very quickly one after the other so that the recoil is not felt by the shooter until after the third shot. Otherwise the weapon will warp, which has a negative effect on the probability of the second and third shot being hit.
Caseless ammunition
To achieve this rate of fire, H&K relied on caseless ammunition , which was specially developed for the G11 by the Dynamit Nobel company . This avoids the time-consuming and mechanically complex ejection of the cartridge case, but it also eliminates the need for cooling and thermal insulation through the case. As a result, the G11 tended to overheat and even ignite the ammunition in the chamber. However, a specially developed high-temperature-resistant propellant solved these problems.
Intended introduction in the Bundeswehr
The weapon took part in various test and selection processes and was continuously developed. Based on the competing weapons, for example in the context of a technology test by the US Army , the superiority of the construction and the theoretical weapon concept could be determined. The weapon was developed until it was ready for introduction, but it was not procured as a standard weapon for the German armed forces, since with the collapse of the Warsaw Treaty, the financing of the procurement was no longer politically feasible.
Technical data and versions
The weapon uses a rotating breech. The 750 mm long G11 K2 weighs 4.8 kg with two full magazines. A maximum of three magazines with 45 cartridges each can be carried on the weapon; additional loading strips are possible on the side. It is a shooting gas pressure loader with a cylinder lock . 3 Round mode is the theoretical cadence 2000 rounds / min in continuous firing 500 rounds / min. According to the company, around 500 cartridges were carried on the man, which corresponds to the weight of around 240 cartridges 5.56 × 45 mm NATO or 100 cartridges in caliber 7.62 × 51 mm NATO . The optical single telescopic sight or reflex sight was provided as standard.
The LMG11 machine gun equipped with an automatic revolver lock would have contained around 300 cartridges as ammunition blocks in the shoulder rest . The appearance was comparable to the G11.
The PDW pistol version would have fired a lighter bullet with a smaller amount of powder with the same caliber. With 20 or 40 cartridges in the pistol grip, the weapon is similar to later developments by Heckler & Koch.
literature
- Wolfgang Seel: The G11 story. The history of the development of a high-tech weapon. Schwend, 1993
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ David Th. Schiller: Solo-Tour ins Aus , In: Visier Special No. 53, ISBN 978-3-9812481-4-2 , p. 65
- ↑ Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement - detail page no longer available on October 8, 2016.