Heckler & Koch

MP-5 ARMORERS INSTRUCTION________________________________________________________HECKLER & KOCH, INC.
OBERNDORF
“The History of a Town”
His Majesty Friedrich I of Wurtemberg signed the foundation document for the royal weapon factory in
Oberndorf on 31 st July 1811. The factory was opened in 1812 and employed 133 workers.
1867 Wilhelm and Paul Mauser invented a novel bolt system for breechloaders. This weapon was
introduced as the German infantry weapon M71 in 1871.
The royal weapon factory became Waffenfabrik Mauser AG in 1897.
At the beginning of the 20gth Century the factory was substantially expanded. A new infantry weapon,
the model 98, was introduced.
1945, the end of World War II. The former royal weapon factory was dismantled by the French
Occupying Forces. Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch and Alex Seidel, former engineers of the Mauser-
Werke, save what could be saved from the ruins and lay the foundation for Heckler & Koch.
HECKLER & KOCH
“The History”
1949: Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch and Alex Seidel found an engineering office in the former airraid
protection of the Fire brigade warehouse. The product range: spare parts and single parts for
household machines and bicycles.
1959: The newly founded Bundeswehr of the Federal Republic of Germany introduced the G3 of
Heckler & Koch as the standard assault rifle. All German forces are equipped with the G3.
1966: Start of the serial production of the MP5. In the following years not only the German police and
Special Forces are equipped with his weapon but also many other police forces abroad.
1974: Heckler & Koch gets an order from the Ministry of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany
to develop a weapon with a caseless ammunition technology.
1978: The serial production for the P7 is started; the pistol is introduced in several Federal States and
with the Special Forces as well as in the Bundeswehr.
1990: The money of the defense household which is already attached to the pre serial production of the
weapon system G11 with caseless ammunition is canceled.
1991: 600 employees of Heckler & Koch GmbH and Heckler & Koch Maschinenbau GmbH (Machine
Tool Company) are laid off in the frame of a social plan procedure. The family-owned company Heckler
& Koch is taken over by the British Company Royal Ordnance on March 6 th . Royal Ordnance is an
integrated part of the British Aerospace Group. This take-over is followed by the re-structuring of
Heckler & Koch and the concentration of the core business, the defense technology.
1995: In July Heckler & Koch signed a contract with the Bundeswehr concerning the new Bundeswehr
pistol. The serial production for this weapon starts in September. The P8 is delivered to the Air force,
the Navy and the Army.
1996: Serial production of the new 5.56mm light weight assault rifle G36 will start in spring. First article
tests were conducted in March. A carbine version of the G36 named G36 K was supplied for field tests
to a Para-Gtl.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
H&K International Training Division 1