Heckler & Koch G36

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War

Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Small-unit rifle supply and diverted battlefield usestrike

DW, citing ARIJ's Yemen investigation, reported G36 assault rifles in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula footage from Yemen and said weapons of this kind were initially issued to Hadi-aligned units before diversion or sale; the side is recorded with this diversion caveat rather than as authorized AQAP fielding.

Heckler & Koch G36 Images

Related Weapon Systems

Infantry WeaponsArsenal AR-M9 / AR-M9F5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifleThe Arsenal AR-M9 and folding-stock AR-M9F are Bulgarian 5.56 x 45 mm Kalashnikov-pattern assault rifles built by Arsenal JSCo. Open-source arms researchers documented the rifles with UAE-trained pro-government Yemeni resistance fighters and a Sudanese coalition soldier during the Yemen Civil War, making the family a small-arms example of Gulf-backed coalition equipment flows.

Infantry WeaponsHeckler & Koch G37.62 mm select-fire battle rifleThe Heckler & Koch G3 is a roller-delayed 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle developed in West Germany from the CETME rifle family. In the Yemen Civil War, reporting and arms-monitoring material connect Saudi-produced or Saudi-supplied G3 rifles to anti-Houthi forces, with some examples later captured or diverted in Yemen's fragmented arms environment.

Infantry WeaponsSteyr AUG rifle5.56 mm bullpup assault rifleThe Steyr AUG is an Austrian 5.56x45 mm NATO bullpup assault rifle built around a compact modular layout, interchangeable barrels, and synthetic magazines. In the Yemen Civil War, open-source reporting links AUG rifles to Saudi use and provision within the coalition-backed weapons flow, including diversion into Yemen's wartime arms markets.

Infantry WeaponsAK-pattern assault rifleSelective-fire assault rifle familyAK-pattern assault rifles are Kalashnikov-family small arms derived from the Soviet AK-47 and later AKM pattern, usually chambered in 7.62 x 39 mm for the rifles documented in Yemen interdiction reporting. In the Yemen Civil War, official U.S. reporting has repeatedly tied AK-47 and Type 56-family rifle shipments to illicit maritime supply routes from Iran toward Houthi-aligned forces.

Infantry WeaponsAKM7.62x39mm assault rifleThe AKM is the stamped-receiver modernization of the Soviet Kalashnikov assault rifle, chambered for 7.62x39mm and built around a long-stroke gas piston and rotating bolt. Its lower production burden, broad Warsaw Pact and licensed manufacture, and large legacy stocks keep it visible in modern conflicts, including the Israel-Hamas War, where AP reported Hamas fighters using AK-47 assault rifles in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attack and in the wider Kalashnikov rifle family.

Infantry WeaponsBarrett M82A1 / M107Semi-automatic .50 BMG anti-materiel rifleThe Barrett M82A1, standardized in U.S. service as the M107 family, is a recoil-operated semi-automatic .50 BMG anti-materiel rifle built for long-range fire against vehicles, equipment, and protected positions. In the Yemen Civil War, ARES documented M82A1 rifles in Houthi-aligned hands in 2015, with the likely acquisition route tied to captured Yemeni stocks or coalition battlefield losses rather than a clearly documented new supply line.

Sources