Infantry Weapons

Heckler & Koch G36

Also known as
  • HK G36
  • H&K G36
  • Gewehr G36
  • G36 rifle

The Heckler & Koch G36 is a German 5.56 mm assault rifle built around a reinforced-polymer receiver, indirect gas operation, a rotating bolt head, folding stock, and modular rifle, carbine, compact, and export configurations. Its cataloged conflict record spans Mexican police firing during the 2014 Iguala operation, German support to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq, and Saudi-licensed rifles diverted from Hadi-aligned forces into militant hands in Yemen.

Heckler & Koch G36, 5.56 mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons
Image source: Commons G36 Live-Fire Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Germany; Saudi-licensed production context
Type
5.56 mm assault rifle
Service note
Bundeswehr standard rifle from 1997; documented in Mexican police, Iraq partner-force, and Yemen diversion contexts before G95 replacement deliveries began in December 2025.
Designer
Heckler & Koch
Designed
Early-to-mid 1990s
Produced
1996-present

Specifications

Caliber
5.56 x 45 mm NATO
Operating system
Indirect gas-operated, locked rotating bolt
Feed
Detachable magazine; 10, 20, or 30 rounds listed by Heckler & Koch
Rate of fire
Approximately 750 rounds per minute
Effective range
300 to 600 m depending on configuration
Length
998 mm for G36, 860 mm for G36K, and 720 mm for G36C according to Modern Firearms
Barrel length
480 mm for G36, 320 mm for G36K, and 228 mm for G36C according to Modern Firearms
Weight
About 3.6 kg empty for the full-size G36 according to Modern Firearms and the Bundeswehr
Sights
Bundeswehr G36 rifles combine a three-power optical sight with a reflex red-dot sight
Construction
Reinforced-polymer receiver and external parts with a side-folding stock
Grenade launcher interface
HK describes the G36 family with a standard interface for an HK 40 mm under-mounted grenade launcher
Variants

The G36 family groups the full-length rifle, shortened Kurz carbine, compact model, export sighting variants, and a limited squad-automatic proposal around a shared 5.56 mm platform.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
G36Full-length rifle

Bundeswehr service pages describe the standard rifle with a 480 mm barrel, integrated optic/reflex sight arrangement, folding shoulder stock, and 30-round box magazine.

Sources: Bundeswehr G36 Equipment Page

G36KKurz carbine

Modern Firearms lists the G36K as the 320 mm-barrel, 860 mm overall-length short variant; HK USA currently lists G36K law-enforcement packages.

Sources: Heckler-Koch G36 Assault Rifle, HK USA G36 LEO Page

G36CCompact variant

Modern Firearms lists the G36C as the 228 mm-barrel, 720 mm overall-length compact variant; HK USA currently lists G36C law-enforcement packages.

Sources: Heckler-Koch G36 Assault Rifle, HK USA G36 LEO Page

G36V / G36EExport sighting configuration

Modern Firearms identifies the G36E export rifle with a single 1.5x telescope sight and shows related G36KE export carbine sighting configuration.

Sources: Heckler-Koch G36 Assault Rifle

MG36Squad-automatic proposal

Modern Firearms describes the MG36 as a heavy-barreled squad-automatic version proposed within the G36 family but not mass-produced.

Sources: Heckler-Koch G36 Assault Rifle

Compatible Ammunition
Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
5.56x45mm NATO cartridge, 5.56x45mm NATO small-arms cartridge, Munitions5.56x45mm NATO cartridge5.56 mm assault rifle

Heckler & Koch lists the G36 caliber as 5.56 mm x 45 NATO, which explicitly ties the rifle to this cartridge.

Sources: G36

Timeline

Heckler & Koch G36 Key Events

  1. Bundeswehr introduction

    The Bundeswehr identifies the G36 as its standard rifle introduced in 1997.

    Sources: Bundeswehr G36 Equipment Page

  2. G95 replacement deliveries begin

    The Bundeswehr reported initial troop delivery of the G95 and described the G36 as entering gradual retirement after roughly 30 years as basic equipment.

    Sources: Bundeswehr G95 Delivery Announcement

Media

Heckler & Koch G36 Images

Heckler & Koch G36, 5.56 mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: Commons Bundeswehr G36 Image
Heckler & Koch G36, 5.56 mm assault rifle, Infantry Weapons - view 2
Source: Commons Latvian G36KV Image
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Sources

G36Publisher: Heckler & Koch | Note: Supports manufacturer background, caliber, operating system, magazine capacity, rate of fire, and effective-range specifications. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Heckler-Koch G36 Assault RiflePublisher: Modern Firearms | Note: Supports G36-family background, export and MG36 variant distinctions, and comparative specifications for full-size, K, and C variants. | Accessed: 2026-07-04HK USA G36 LEO PagePublisher: Heckler & Koch USA | Note: Supports current G36K and G36C model listings, 5.56 x 45 mm chambering, gas operation, magazine capacities, and U.S. law-enforcement package context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Bundeswehr G36 Equipment PagePublisher: Bundeswehr | Note: Supports Bundeswehr introduction in 1997, standard-rifle identity, 5.56 x 45 mm caliber, 30-round magazine, 500 m combat distance, optical/reflex sights, polymer construction, folding stock, 480 mm barrel, 3.6 kg weight, and 750 rounds-per-minute cyclic rate. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Bundeswehr G95 Delivery AnnouncementPublisher: Bundeswehr | Note: Supports the December 2025 start of G95 delivery and the statement that the G36 had been basic Bundeswehr equipment since 1997 and was entering gradual retirement. | Accessed: 2026-07-04'Made in Europe': Al-Qaida's GunsPublisher: Deutsche Welle | Note: Documents 2014 Yemen Civil War G36 assault rifles used by al-Qaida in Yemen and initially issued to Hadi-aligned units before diversion or sale. | Accessed: 2026-07-04German Arms in the Yemen WarPublisher: Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War context for Saudi-made G36 rifles fielded by or appearing among armed opposition groups in Yemen. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Brutal Police Operation in Mexico: German Arms Manufacturer Heckler & Koch ResponsiblePublisher: European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights | Note: Documents 2006 Criminal Violence in Mexico G36 rifles fired by Mexican police during the September 2014 Iguala operation in Guerrero. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Ertuechtigung regionaler PartnerPublisher: Bundesakademie fuer Sicherheitspolitik | Note: Documents 2013 War in Iraq G3 and G36 rifles supplied to Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq for the fight against Islamic State. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons G36 Live-Fire ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary G36 image, credited to a U.S. Army soldier and marked public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons Bundeswehr G36 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a German unit with G36 rifles, credited to a U.S. Air Force photographer and marked public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Commons Latvian G36KV ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a G36KV variant image, credited to a U.S. Army photographer and marked public domain. | Accessed: 2026-07-04