Development

The origin of this rifle can be traced back to the final years of World War II when Mauser engineers at the Light Weapon Development Group (Abteilung 37) at Oberndorf am Neckar designed the MKb Gerät 06 (Maschinenkarabiner Gerät 06 or "machine carbine instrument 06") prototype assault rifle chambered for the intermediate 7.92x33mm Kurz cartridge, first with the Gerät 06 model using a roller-locked short recoil mechanism originally adapted from the MG 42 machine gun but with a fixed barrel and conventional gas-actuated piston system.[2] It was realized that with careful attention to the mechanical ratios, the gas system could be omitted.[3] The resultant weapon, the Gerät 06H (the "H" suffix is an abbreviation for halbverreigelt or "half-locked") was assigned the designation StG 45(M) (Sturmgewehr 45(M)) but was not produced in any significant numbers and the war ended before the first production rifles were completed.[4] The German technicians involved in developing the Sturmgewehr 45 continued their research in France at CEAM. The StG45 mechanism was modified by Ludwig Vorgrimler and Theodor Löffler at the Mulhouse facility between 1946 and 1949. Three versions were made, chambered in .30 Carbine, 7.92x33mm Kurz as well as the 7.65x35mm cartridge developed by Cartoucherie de Valence and adopted in 1948. A 7.5x38mm cartridge using a partial aluminium bullet was abandoned in 1947. Löffler's design, designated the Carabine Mitrailleuse Modèle 1950, was retained for trials among 12 different prototypes designed by CEAM, MAC, and MAS. Engaged in the Indochina War and being the second NATO contributor, France canceled the adoption of these new weapons for financial reasons. In 1950, Vorgrimler moved to Spain where he created the LV-50 rifle chambered in the intermediate 7.92x33mm Kurz cartridge and later, the proprietary 7.92x40mm CETME M53 round.[5] At this point, the rifle was renamed the Modelo 2. The Modelo 2 attracted a lot of attention from the West German Border Guards (Bundesgrenzschutz), which sought a new service rifle. Not willing to accept a cartridge outside of the NATO specification, the Germans asked CETME to develop a 7.62 mm version of the rifle. The resulting CETME rifle Model A was chambered for the 7.62x51mm CETME cartridge which has identical chamber dimensions but a reduced-power load compared to the 7.62x51mm NATO round. Further development of the rifle with input from HK produced the CETME Model B which received several modifications including the ability to fire from a closed bolt in both semi-automatic and automatic firing modes, a new perforated sheet-metal handguard (the folding bipod had been the foregrip in previous models), improved ergonomics and a slightly longer barrel with a rifle grenade launcher guide. In 1958, this rifle was introduced into service with the Spanish Army as the Modelo 58, firing the 7.62x51mm CETME round. In 1956, the Bundesgrenzschutz canceled its planned procurement of the CETME rifles, adopting the FN FAL (G1) instead. However, the newly formed West German Army (Bundeswehr) now displayed interest and soon purchased a number of CETME rifles (7.62x51mm NATO chambering) for further testing. The CETME, known as the Automatisches Gewehr G3, competed successfully against the SIG SG 510 (G2) and AR-10 (G4) to replace the previously favored G1 rifle. In January 1959, the Bundeswehr officially accepted the CETME rifle. The West German government wanted the G3 rifle to be produced under license in Germany; purchase of the G1 had previously fallen through over FN's refusal to grant such a license. In the case of the G3, the Dutch firm Nederlandse Wapen en Munitiefabrik (NWM) held production and sales rights to the CETME design outside of Spain. To acquire production rights, the West German government offered NWM contracts to supply the Luftwaffe with 20 mm ammunition. Production of the G3 was then assigned to Rheinmetall and HK. The latter company already had ties to CETME, and had worked to further optimize the CETME rifle for use with the full-power 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge (as opposed to the downloaded CETME variant). In 1969, Rheinmetall gave up production rights to the G3 in exchange for HK's promise not to bid on MG3 production. Later in 1977, the West German government ceded ownership of G3 production and sales rights exclusively to HK. Initial production G3 rifles differed substantially from more recent models; early rifles featured closed-type mechanical flip iron sights (with two settings), a lightweight folding bipod, stamped steel handguard, wooden buttstock (in fixed stock models) and a telescopic metal stock (in folding stock models).[5] The weapon was modernized during its service life (among other minor modifications it received new sights, a different flash hider, a plastic foregrip and stock), resulting in the current production variants, the G3A3 (with a fixed synthetic stock) and the G3A4 (telescoping metal stock). The rifle proved successful in the export market, being adopted by the armed forces of over 40 countries.[5] The G3 was and in some cases continues to be produced under license in: France (MAS), Greece (Hellenic Arms Industry), Iran (Defense Industries Organization), Mexico, Myanmar, Norway (Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk), Pakistan (Pakistan Ordnance Factories), Portugal (FBP), Saudi Arabia, Sweden (FFV), Thailand, Turkey (MKEK) and the United Kingdom (Royal Ordnance).[5]