ARTICLE · 22 DECEMBER 2020

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In a highly criticised decision on 15th September 2020, the German Ministry of Defense awarded a $250 million contract to weapons manufacturer Haenel.

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In a highly criticised decision on 15^th September 2020, the German Ministry of Defense awarded a $250 million contract to weapons manufacturer Haenel. Haenel was chosen to provide MK 556 assault rifles to the German military as replacement for the current standard assault rifle HK G36, manufactured by Heckler & Koch. The HK G36 was introduced in 1997 as the new standard rifle and replaced the HK G3, which was introduced in the 1950s and also provided by Heckler & Koch. Despite the fact that Haenel is a German company, security concerns were raised, since Haenel is a small subsidiary of the EDGE Group, which is a United Arab Emirates defense conglomerate.

On 9^th October 2020, the German Ministry of Defense withdrew its decision to award Haenel with the contract and announced that patent infringement by Haenel at the expense of Heckler & Koch could not be ruled out.

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