Germany; Parliament calls for G36 rifle replacement

German parliamentary Defense Committee Chairman Hans-Peter Bartels said the highly criticized G36 firearms used by the German military need to be replaced. "The Bundeswehr needs to find a replacement for the G36, as it is operationally limiting".

Bartels' comments come a day after German defense manufacturing company Heckler & Koch, makers of the controversial G36 assault rifle, said the machine gun was dependable and "100 percent efficient." The company's statement followed findings that the guns were ineffective in hot temperatures.

The G36's capabilities came under scrutiny after a study commissioned by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen last year claimed "the weapons system did not fulfill the requirements."

The German army claimed in the study that the G36's precision was lower than had been previously estimated. The weapon's capacity to hit targets fell to 30 percent when the surrounding temperature reached 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) or when the weapon became hot through constant use, the report said. The reason for the gun's poor precision was its "complete system," the research revealed.

Greens party defense spokesperson Tobias Lindner said there could be consequences if the firearms continued to be used. "The ministry has to repair the G36 quickly, or find a replacement".

A quick solution is unlikely, however, as a complete overhaul of the 176,000 rifles in use across the Bundeswehr could take up to 10 years.