Haenel MK 556

rdf:langString Haenel MK 556

rdf:langString Haenel MK 556

rdf:langString Haenel MK 556

rdf:langString The Haenel CR 223 semi-auto version of the MK 556 rifle

rdf:langString Yes

rdf:langString The Haenel MK 556 (German: Maschinenkarabiner) is a gas-operated selective-fire 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle designed by C.G. Haenel in Germany. The MK556 was finalised in September 2020, and it is a fully automatic version of an earlier Haenel design, the CR 223, which was already in limited use by law enforcement agencies since 2017. On 14 September 2020, the Haenel MK 556 was selected by the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) as a replacement for the G36, making it the first service rifle used by the Bundeswehr produced by a company other than Heckler & Koch, who had submitted their own designs. In order to replace the G36, the German Federal Ministry of Defence put forth the "Assault Rifle System", which the MK 556 won, leading to a purchase of the rifle, which was withdrawn on 9 October 2020, citing suspicion of breaches of public procurement law and concerns about alleged patent infringements by C.G. Haenel to the detriment of the other bidder company, Heckler & Koch. The German Federal Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) had this communicated to the Defence Committee of the German Federal Parliament. The decision followed a crisis meeting with representatives of the procurement office. The offers of the bidders will be reassessed by the procurement office against this background. On 14 October 2020, media reports emerged, doubting patent infringements regarding the Bundeswehr MK 556 versions being offered by C.G. Haenel to the detriment of Heckler & Koch. Furthermore, reports regarding patent infringements by Haenel's German box magazine sub-supplier Oberland Arms to the detriment of Magpul Industries emerged.Oberland Arms polymer box magazines were commercially launched to European consumers in 2009. German media have tried to obtain more information from Magpul Industries and C.G. Haenel, but since 13 October 2020 no new information appeared that could substantiate a magazine patent litigation. On 2 March 2021 the German Federal Ministry of Defence officially announced, after evaluating all submitted documents, the offer from C.G. Haenel was excluded from the further award procedure. The company has already been informed of this. It is now intended to award the contract to Heckler & Koch. C.G. Haenel announced on 3 March 2021 the federal government's decision will be reviewed and "all necessary legal steps will be taken to protect our interests". According to public procurement lawyers, the final decision on the new assault rifle could be delayed until all legal actions are exhausted. This may delay any future contract award for years until the matter is settled and lead to compensation payments. Within a week, German media started reporting on initiated legal actions as a result of the award revocation.