September is a very good month for Heckler & Koch. In the past years, the company has been experiencing problems such as in 2013, when it was first reported to be having financial problems due to delayed deliveries and then in 2015 problems with the G36 rifle used by the Bundeswehr came out in the open. On September 2, a German court cleared the company of any fault in the G36 issue and does not need to pay the government any compensation. Then last September 23, it won the tender for the the Arme Individuelle du Futur – Future Individual Weapon project of the French Armed Forces that was confirmed by the French procurement office, Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA).

Photo: The French FAMAS Bullpup Rifle

The HK416 will replace the French-made FAMAS rifle that has been in service in the French Army since 1977, the first Army in the world to adopt a bullpup rifle. Production of the FAMAS rifle has stopped in the 1990s after having fully met the requirements of the French Armed Forces, with no further orders and plants have closed down. No effort has been made by the French to have an indigenous design to replace the rifle in the 21st Century, leading them to look elsewhere for its replacement.

Five companies answered when the French DGA issued the first tender for the FAMAS replacement with the FN Herstal SCAR-L and the HK416 chosen as the finalists. The first tender will award an order of 100,000 units that will delivered for a period of over 10 years. Eventually, the French chose the HK416 to be their new mainstay rifle which is already in use by Paratroop units such as the Commando Parachutiste de l'Air n°20 of the French Air Force and the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment or 13ème RDP of the French Army.

This makes France as the second country to have the HK416 as the main assault rifle for its armed forces after Norway. The HK416 is mainly in use in special operations forces around the world.

The estimated value of the 15-year contract is said to be around €300 million ($336 million). Official press release from Heckler & Koch below:

France selects the HK416 as its new assault rifle
26.09.2016

After an extensive evaluation lasting more than one year, the French Direction Générale de l’Armement has selected the HK416 as the successor of the famous "FAMAS" assault rifle.

Heckler & Koch GmbH is honored and proud to announce that it has been officially awarded last week by the French Direction Générale de l’Armement the contract for the supply of the future French assault rifle. Known initially as the "Arme Individuelle Future" (AIF), the selected weapon is a variant of the battle-proven HK416A5 assault rifle.

The HK416 will replace the well-known "FAMAS" assault rifle which is no longer produced, bringing modularity and flexibility to the needs of the French military.

The contract calls for the supply over a period of 15 years of up to 102,000 5.56 x 45 mm NATO rifles, 10,767 40 x 46 mm grenade launchers, ammunition, spare parts, support services and accessories. The weapon will be available in two versions with different barrel lengths depending on the user mission and will equip all Army, Navy and Air Force personnel.

After a technical evaluation which pushed all competitors to their technical limits, the HK416 was a top performer and the cornerstone of a high performance and fully integrated weapon system.

The HK416 is a robust, reliable and accurate weapon produced in Oberndorf am Neckar, in Germany’s Black Forest region, using the finest materials including the best French steels which provide its legendary robustness. It is a user-friendly weapon that has proven its capabilities on military operations in numerous occasions.

Photo teaser: French Air Force Commandos with HK416 (Credit: Armée de l'Air - Ministère de la Défense)