Heckler & Koch G11

Heckler & Koch G11 K1 - 4.73x33mm

File:HK G11 caseless Rifle.jpg

Heckler & Koch G11 K2 - 4.73x33mm

The G11 assault rifle was developed by Heckler & Koch from 1968 to 1991 as a potential replacement for West Germany's G3 battle rifles; it was also entered in the US military's Advanced Combat Rifle program in 1982 and was tested during field experiments from 1989 to 1990. The G11 is a bullpup rifle firing caseless rounds and features an unusual layout with the rounds pointed downwards in a long magazine inserted into the front of the weapon, and a rotating chamber to align them with the barrel; this almost certainly inspired the layout and rotating feed system of the FN P90. The entire mechanism of the rifle (including the barrel and magazine) is capable of moving back inside the stock to allow for a superfast 3-round burst at 2,100 RPM, with the idea being that all three rounds would be fired before felt recoil affected the shooter. In full-auto mode, this system is not used and the rifle fires at around 460 RPM.

While early versions of the caseless round had problems with untriggered detonation due to heat build-up ("cook-off"), using new propellant designed by Dynamit Nobel with a higher ignition temperature was said to have solved this issue. The final G11 was mechanically sound but unsuccessful politically, finding itself being considered for adoption just as East and West Germany were reunified. There were 256 prototypes built, and although the project was completed successfully and the weapon was officially adopted by the Bundeswehr, the order for 300,000 rifles in the period from 1990-2002 was cancelled and the rifle struck from the procurement list in 1992; by 1993 the entire program had been cancelled due to the impossibility of adapting the G11 to fire standardized NATO ammunition and ultimately, the far more conventional Heckler & Koch G36 was developed instead. However, its futuristic design has led to it being featured frequently in video games and other media where a physical weapon is not required.

The G11 was planned as part of a family of weapons including the "G11 PDW," a gas-operated machine pistol using a shortened 4.73x25mm caseless round and the forerunner to the Heckler & Koch MP7, and the LMG11, a light support weapon variant which would have used an enormous 300-round "package" of ammunition inserted into the stock with cartridges facing to one side in columns, aligning these with a three-chamber revolving breech to protect from cook-off. It is not particularly clear how the "package," which was said to have no spring, actually operated.

Specifications

(Project 1968 - 1991; never entered production)

• Type: Assault Rifle

• Caliber(s): 4.73x33mm caseless and 4.92x33mm(ACR)

• Weight: 8 lbs (3.6 kg) unloaded, 9.48 lbs (4.3 kg) loaded (G11 K2)

• Length: 29.5 in (75 cm)

• Barrel length(s): 21.3 in (54 cm)

• Capacity: 45 (G11 K2) or 50 (G11 K1 and earlier) round box magazine

• Fire Modes: Safe / Semi-Auto / 3-Round Burst (2,100 RPM) / Full-Auto (460 RPM)

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The Heckler & Koch G11 has appeared in the following films, video games and anime:

Film

Title	Actor	Character	Note	Date
Demolition Man	Wesley Snipes	Simon Phoenix	Mockup depicted as a futuristic beam particle gun	1993

Video Games

Game Title	Appears as	Mods	Notation	Release Date
Fallout 2	"H&K G11" & "H&K G11E"		with scope	1999
Syphon Filter 2	H11			2000
Syphon Filter 3	H11			2001
007: Agent Under Fire	Koffler & Stock D17			2001
Delta Force: Land Warrior				2002
Global Operations				2002
Chaser	Heckler&Koch G11			2003
Project IGI 2: Covert Strike				2003
Söldner: Secret Wars				2004
Cross Fire			K2	2007
7.62 High Calibre	HK G11 K2	bayonet, G11 K2 optical scope, Aimpoint Comp red dot sight, ACOG sight, Leupold M8 sight or AN/PVS-4 night sight		2008
Code of Honor 2: Conspiracy Island	"H&K G11"		with scope	2008
Code of Honor 3: Desperate Measures	"H&K G11"		MP only	2009
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker	G11	G11 Prototype model 2		2009
Call of Duty: Black Ops	G11		K2	2010
War Inc. Battlezone				2011
Counter-Strike Online	"HK G11"		50 round mag	2013
Phantom Forces	"G11K2"		K2 variant	2015
Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades	G11		K1	2016
Cruelty Squad	"K&H X20"		K2	2021

Anime

Title	Character	Note	Date
The End of Evangelion	JSSDF soldiers		1997
Darker Than Black	PANDORA guards		2008