The Bundeswehr shows the G95 rifle, the replacement for the G36 in the German Army

Since December 2025, the German Armed Forces have been in the process of distributing a new standard-issue rifle.

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The new assault rifle is the Heckler & Koch G95, which will replace the G36. The G36 was selected in 1995 by the Bundeswehr to replace its aging G3 rifles. The new rifle is a derivative of the famous HK416, a weapon highly regarded by special operations units and currently the standard-issue rifle of the French Army. Yesterday, the Bundeswehr released an interesting video showing the G95 in action (the video is in German; you can turn on automatic English subtitles in the player):

The G95 has been used by the Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK, Special Forces Command) for several years, and is now being issued to regular troops of the German Army. The video shows soldiers from the 701st Armored Engineer Battalion in Gera training with this new weapon.

Like the HK416, the G95 is based on the AR-15 and M-16 rifle family, whose design is becoming widespread among small arms manufacturers thanks to the expiration of the M-16 patents. Like the American rifle, the G95 uses the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge.

The Bundeswehr website highlights the positive reception of the new rifle among German soldiers. Among other features, they point out its improved accuracy compared to the G36, its ergonomics, its sporty appearance, and its ease of use. Among its drawbacks, they note that the weapon requires more oil than the G36, as the latter is made primarily of plastic, while the new rifle has numerous metal parts.

Another difference between the two rifles is that the recoil spring of the G95 is housed in the stock, while in the G36 it is located in front of it. This allows the recoil force to be concentrated closer to the body and, therefore, is easier to absorb, according to the Bundeswehr.

The G95's stock is adjustable for length of length, and the weapon features Picatinny rails for attaching accessories to both the handguard and the top of the receiver. On the G95, the charging handle is located on top of the receiver, whereas on the G36 it was in the center.

The Bundeswehr anticipates that approximately 20,000 G95 rifles in the KA1 version, with a short 355 mm barrel, a model based on the HK416A8, will have been delivered by the end of the year. Deliveries should be completed in 2023 with a total of 250,000 rifles.

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Images: Bundeswehr.