Defence minister says G36 assault rifle ‘has no future in German armed forces’ after accuracy questioned but makers Heckler & Koch deny gun has problem



The German defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, has said an assault rifle that tests suggest does not shoot straight in warm temperatures will not be used in the future, after weeks of controversy about the weapon, which has been in use since the 1990s.

The G36 assault rifle has been the focus of a parliamentary inquiry – and jokes by TV talkshow hosts – amid reports that it is inaccurate when temperatures rise above 30C (86F) or when it heats up through constant firing.

Von der Leyen’s comments on Wednesday came after a report commissioned from the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, and obtained by Reuters, concluded: “A targeted, precise engagement of the opponent is not reliably possible in demanding battle situations.”

The company that makes the rifle, Heckler & Koch, has rejected accusations of poor accuracy and says the weapon is fully operational.

Der Spiegel news magazine said the rifle’s accuracy can deviate, under higher temperatures, by up to six metres at targets 500 metres away. The German military has spent €180m (£130m) on 178,000 rifles over the last two decades.

“This weapon, the way it is now constructed, has no future in the German armed forces,” von der Leyen said after a parliamentary defence committee meeting looking into the rifle’s accuracy.

She left unanswered the question of whether a modified version of the rifle could be acceptable. German soldiers on deployment and elite commandos would get replacement rifles as quickly as possible, she said.

German soldiers deployed in Afghanistan as well as on other missions, such as the Horn of Africa, have used the rifle.

Germany’s first female defence minister, Von der Leyen is tipped as a possible successor to the chancellor, Angela Merkel, as leader of the Christian Democrats. Her predecessor Thomas de Maizière, who is now interior minister and another possible heir to Merkel, has also come under scrutiny over the G36.

Members of the opposition Left and Greens in parliament want to question De Maizière as well as his predecessor, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, about the assault rifle and how long officials had been aware of the allegations that it was inaccurate.

The Left party’s defence spokesman, Jan van Aken, said there were indications that the defence ministry had been aware of the alleged problem since 2010. Anton Hofreiter of the Greens claimed the defence ministry had avoided the issue for years.