The French Army procurement agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement, DGA) has ordered a new batch of 12,000 HK416F 5.56mm assault rifles for the French Army that will replace the FAMAS 5.56 mm bullpup assault rifle in service with the French armed forces since 1972. The French armed forces conducted a rifle evaluation and trial to replace the FAMAS, and selected the HK416F as its primary firearm in 2016. Of the 93,080 rifles, 54,575 will be a “short” version with a 280 mm (11 in) barrel weighing 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) without the ability to use a grenade launcher, and 38,505 will be a “standard” version with a 368 mm (14.5 in) barrel weighing 4 kg (8.8 lb), of which 14,915 will take FÉLIN attachments; standard rifles will be supplied with 10,767 HK269F grenade launchers.
The HK416F is based on the design of HK416A5 and can be used by left and right-handed shooters. In terms of optics, the information states that it will be possible to re-uses the current optics used on the FAMAS rifles. In other words, like many other armies, the French also have to run lean and re-use what is already available. That would be the French Scrome J4 optic, which is a 4× magnification scope. The HK416F features a cold-hammered barrel with six grooves and a right-hand spin. It uses a magazine which has a capacity of 30 cartridges. The HK416 F is equipped with an adjustable shoulder stock which can be sized from 741 mm to 842mm for the C variant or 831mm to 931mm for the S variant. Other accessories and various components, as well as training and services will run for some 15 years as well.
The Heckler & Koch HK416 is an assault rifle designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch. Although its design is based on the AR-15 class of firearm, specifically the Colt M4 carbine family issued to the U.S. military, it uses a proprietary short-stroke gas piston system derived from the ArmaLite AR-18 (the same system was also used in Heckler & Koch’s earlier G36 family of rifles).The HK system uses a short-stroke piston driving an operating rod to force the bolt carrier to the rear. This design prevents combustion gases from entering the weapon’s interior—a shortcoming with direct impingement systems. It is the standard assault rifle of the Norwegian Armed Forces, selected by the French Armed Forces to replace the FAMAS, and was the weapon used by SEAL Team Six to kill Osama Bin Laden in 2011.
