The Luxembourg Army commissioned German defense manufacturing company Heckler & Koch to supply the future standard assault rifle to its armed forces On April 18 2023. In advance to the contract, Heckler & Koch was able to clearly win an intensive comparative test against a well-known European competitor. For about 8.4 million Euros, the Army of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will receive an HK416 A7 assault rifle variant in 5.56 mm x 45 NATO calibre in two different barrel lengths – 11 and 14.5 inches.
The defence package is completed by 40 mm HK269 grenade launcher modules as well as HK417 A2 assault rifles in the NATO calibre 7.62 mm X 51. With this decision, the Luxembourg alliance partner is parting with its Steyr AUG used up to now and, with the HK416, the Luxembourg army is relying on a mission-proven quality product from Heckler & Koch for its soldiers which is widely used in the NATO. The delivery of the new standard weapon to the Grand Duchy will take place within a year and is scheduled for completion in 2024.
The Heckler & Koch HK416 is a gas-operated assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. Although the design is based on the AR-15 class of firearm (specifically the Colt M4), it uses a proprietary short-stroke, gas piston system from Heckler & Koch’s earlier G36 family of rifles. The HK416 is the standard assault rifle of the Norwegian Armed Forces and the United States Marine Corps (named M27), and it has been selected by the French Armed Forces to replace the FAMAS. Other users include the US Navy’s SEAL Team Six, who used it to kill Osama Bin Laden in 2011.
The HK417 is gas-operated, has a rotating bolt and is capable of selective fire.Being the larger caliber version of the Heckler & Koch HK416, and chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO rifle cartridge, it is intended for use where the penetrative power, stopping power, and range of the 5.56×45mm NATO HK416 would otherwise be insufficient. The HK417 has been adopted for service by a number of armed forces, special forces, and police organizations throughout the world, including United States Joint Special Operations Command, Russian Spetsnaz forces and others.
