thedrifter
08-02-04, 07:29 AM
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It had it all -- accuracy, ease of use, and a revolutionary "caseless ammunition" system that might have changed the way rifles are made -- but the Heckler & Koch G11 rifle was never put into mass production. What happened to this unique rifle?
http://www.*************/pics/SoldierTech_G11-1.jpg
Some of the most interesting innovations in military technology are never implemented -- not because the innovation was a bad idea to start with, or due to design flaws, but simply due to bad timing. Case in point: the revolutionary Heckler & Koch G11, a rifle that used unprecedented "caseless ammunition," as well as advanced aiming and recoil-less firing capabilities. Its only sin? It was ready for action in a period of political unification and cost-cutting measures.
Blaze of Glory: Improving Burst Accuracy
The short, bittersweet tale of the G11 began in 1970, when the then-West German government initiated a study to produce a new combat rifle to replace the 7.62mm G3 battle rifle currently in service. Among the many requirements for the rifle were that it carry 50 rounds of ammunition (to reduce magazine changes), have a flat trajectory through 300 meters (to facilitate rapid aiming), have a high degree of accuracy when firing 3 round bursts (for improved lethality), and weigh less than 10 pounds with 100 rounds of ammunition.
Of these requirements, the most challenging to overcome, and what made the G11 such a revolutionary weapon, was the issue of burst accuracy. Following a 1960s study at Frankfurt's Battelle Institute, it was determined that current methods of automatic and burst fire management were not capable of meeting the accuracy demands established by the German government. Fully automatic fire generates individual recoil impulses which not only causes the rifle to rise (as the weapon pivots on the firer's shoulder), but when transferred to the shooter's body, these impulses cause the shooter's torso to rotate as well. As a result subsequent shots will be high and wide compared to the first, meaning that if the first round missed the target, all subsequent rounds would also miss the target.
The study concluded that there were two solutions to this problem. The first was the "shotgun" approach, in which a large number of projectiles would be launched at the same time, saturating the target area. This option was rejected because the size of the shell needed to launch a sufficient number of projectiles would have not only reduced the overall combat load of the firer, but the high recoil impulse generated with each shot would have had a dramatic effect on subsequent shot times and accuracy. Accordingly, the second option, in which "salvos" of bullets were fired at as high a speed as possible, so as to reduce the effects of recoil on bullet accuracy, was the one recommended.
In order to condense individual recoil impulses into one manageable force however, required the weapon have a cyclic rate of fire of 2,000 rounds per minute, which was not achievable utilizing conventional single barrel technology. To meet this requirement Heckler & Koch, the manufacturer selected to build the G11, eliminated the cartridge case extraction and ejection steps from the firing cycle and turned to the Dynamit Nobel company to develop a new type of bullet technology: caseless ammunition.
http://www.*************/pics/SoldierTech_G11-2.jpg
The GL11 rifle with an optical scope mounted.
The Revolution
H&K's caseless ammunition concept was revolutionary for a number of reasons. First, and most importantly, by eliminating two steps from the seven-step firing cycle (see box on right), the cyclic rate of fire could be increased to meet design requirements. Second, since there is no brass (casings left over from firing a weapon) to eject, there is no need for an ejection port, which means the rifle's action is protected from external fouling and contamination. Finally, eliminating the bullet case not only reduces the overall weight of the bullet, but also allows for a more efficient design to be used.
To overcome the numerous technical obstacles associated with such a new and radical weapon design, H&K and Dynamit Nobel, along with optics manufacturer Hensoldt/Wetzlar, combined their development efforts to form the GSHG (Gesellschaft für Hülsenlose Gewehrsysteme, or Corporation for Caseless Rifle Systems).
The most challenging of these obstacles was the development of the caseless ammunition itself. Early tests with molded gunpowder led to the development of High Ignition Temperature Propellant (HITP), a less sensitive compound that would reduce the risk of "cook offs" where the internal chamber temperature was high enough to ignite the propellant. The propellant is molded into a rectangular block around the 4.7mm diameter projectile and cartridge primer. The rectangular shape allows the rounds to feed more efficiently from the magazine -- since there is no magazine "dead space," as there would be with conventional round metallic cartridges, there is no room in the magazine for the bullets to shift and potentially mis-feed. In addition to improving feeding, the molded propellant also significantly reduces the weight of each individual cartridge (A G11 rifle, with 45 round magazines and 510 rounds of 4.7mm caseless ammunition, weighs as much as a G3 rifle with 20 round magazines and 100 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition).
The rifle itself is relatively straightforward (the G11 fires from the "closed bolt" position, and the breech is gas piston operated), with the exception of the rotating breech/chamber cylinder. With no bullet case to extract, there is no need for a locking bolt/chamber arrangement, as there is in conventional rifles. In its place, the G11 has a rotating cylinder that serves as both breech and firing chamber. Rounds are fed vertically through the top of the weapon (the feed magazine and two spares are mounted horizontally over the long axis of the barrel housing) into the cylinder breech, which is then rotated 90 degrees to align the chamber with the barrel. When fired, the gas piston rotates the cylinder back 90 degrees and another round is loaded.
http://www.*************/pics/SoldierTech_G11-4.gif
Schematic of G11 bolt and feeding system.
The rifle itself is relatively straightforward (the G11 fires from the "closed bolt" position, and the breech is gas piston operated), with the exception of the rotating breech/chamber cylinder. With no bullet case to extract, there is no need for a locking bolt/chamber arrangement, as there is in conventional rifles. In its place, the G11 has a rotating cylinder that serves as both breech and firing chamber. Rounds are fed vertically through the top of the weapon (the feed magazine and two spares are mounted horizontally over the long axis of the barrel housing) into the cylinder breech, which is then rotated 90 degrees to align the chamber with the barrel. When fired, the gas piston rotates the cylinder back 90 degrees and another round is loaded.
continued............
It had it all -- accuracy, ease of use, and a revolutionary "caseless ammunition" system that might have changed the way rifles are made -- but the Heckler & Koch G11 rifle was never put into mass production. What happened to this unique rifle?
http://www.*************/pics/SoldierTech_G11-1.jpg
Some of the most interesting innovations in military technology are never implemented -- not because the innovation was a bad idea to start with, or due to design flaws, but simply due to bad timing. Case in point: the revolutionary Heckler & Koch G11, a rifle that used unprecedented "caseless ammunition," as well as advanced aiming and recoil-less firing capabilities. Its only sin? It was ready for action in a period of political unification and cost-cutting measures.
Blaze of Glory: Improving Burst Accuracy
The short, bittersweet tale of the G11 began in 1970, when the then-West German government initiated a study to produce a new combat rifle to replace the 7.62mm G3 battle rifle currently in service. Among the many requirements for the rifle were that it carry 50 rounds of ammunition (to reduce magazine changes), have a flat trajectory through 300 meters (to facilitate rapid aiming), have a high degree of accuracy when firing 3 round bursts (for improved lethality), and weigh less than 10 pounds with 100 rounds of ammunition.
Of these requirements, the most challenging to overcome, and what made the G11 such a revolutionary weapon, was the issue of burst accuracy. Following a 1960s study at Frankfurt's Battelle Institute, it was determined that current methods of automatic and burst fire management were not capable of meeting the accuracy demands established by the German government. Fully automatic fire generates individual recoil impulses which not only causes the rifle to rise (as the weapon pivots on the firer's shoulder), but when transferred to the shooter's body, these impulses cause the shooter's torso to rotate as well. As a result subsequent shots will be high and wide compared to the first, meaning that if the first round missed the target, all subsequent rounds would also miss the target.
The study concluded that there were two solutions to this problem. The first was the "shotgun" approach, in which a large number of projectiles would be launched at the same time, saturating the target area. This option was rejected because the size of the shell needed to launch a sufficient number of projectiles would have not only reduced the overall combat load of the firer, but the high recoil impulse generated with each shot would have had a dramatic effect on subsequent shot times and accuracy. Accordingly, the second option, in which "salvos" of bullets were fired at as high a speed as possible, so as to reduce the effects of recoil on bullet accuracy, was the one recommended.
In order to condense individual recoil impulses into one manageable force however, required the weapon have a cyclic rate of fire of 2,000 rounds per minute, which was not achievable utilizing conventional single barrel technology. To meet this requirement Heckler & Koch, the manufacturer selected to build the G11, eliminated the cartridge case extraction and ejection steps from the firing cycle and turned to the Dynamit Nobel company to develop a new type of bullet technology: caseless ammunition.
http://www.*************/pics/SoldierTech_G11-2.jpg
The GL11 rifle with an optical scope mounted.
The Revolution
H&K's caseless ammunition concept was revolutionary for a number of reasons. First, and most importantly, by eliminating two steps from the seven-step firing cycle (see box on right), the cyclic rate of fire could be increased to meet design requirements. Second, since there is no brass (casings left over from firing a weapon) to eject, there is no need for an ejection port, which means the rifle's action is protected from external fouling and contamination. Finally, eliminating the bullet case not only reduces the overall weight of the bullet, but also allows for a more efficient design to be used.
To overcome the numerous technical obstacles associated with such a new and radical weapon design, H&K and Dynamit Nobel, along with optics manufacturer Hensoldt/Wetzlar, combined their development efforts to form the GSHG (Gesellschaft für Hülsenlose Gewehrsysteme, or Corporation for Caseless Rifle Systems).
The most challenging of these obstacles was the development of the caseless ammunition itself. Early tests with molded gunpowder led to the development of High Ignition Temperature Propellant (HITP), a less sensitive compound that would reduce the risk of "cook offs" where the internal chamber temperature was high enough to ignite the propellant. The propellant is molded into a rectangular block around the 4.7mm diameter projectile and cartridge primer. The rectangular shape allows the rounds to feed more efficiently from the magazine -- since there is no magazine "dead space," as there would be with conventional round metallic cartridges, there is no room in the magazine for the bullets to shift and potentially mis-feed. In addition to improving feeding, the molded propellant also significantly reduces the weight of each individual cartridge (A G11 rifle, with 45 round magazines and 510 rounds of 4.7mm caseless ammunition, weighs as much as a G3 rifle with 20 round magazines and 100 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition).
The rifle itself is relatively straightforward (the G11 fires from the "closed bolt" position, and the breech is gas piston operated), with the exception of the rotating breech/chamber cylinder. With no bullet case to extract, there is no need for a locking bolt/chamber arrangement, as there is in conventional rifles. In its place, the G11 has a rotating cylinder that serves as both breech and firing chamber. Rounds are fed vertically through the top of the weapon (the feed magazine and two spares are mounted horizontally over the long axis of the barrel housing) into the cylinder breech, which is then rotated 90 degrees to align the chamber with the barrel. When fired, the gas piston rotates the cylinder back 90 degrees and another round is loaded.
http://www.*************/pics/SoldierTech_G11-4.gif
Schematic of G11 bolt and feeding system.
The rifle itself is relatively straightforward (the G11 fires from the "closed bolt" position, and the breech is gas piston operated), with the exception of the rotating breech/chamber cylinder. With no bullet case to extract, there is no need for a locking bolt/chamber arrangement, as there is in conventional rifles. In its place, the G11 has a rotating cylinder that serves as both breech and firing chamber. Rounds are fed vertically through the top of the weapon (the feed magazine and two spares are mounted horizontally over the long axis of the barrel housing) into the cylinder breech, which is then rotated 90 degrees to align the chamber with the barrel. When fired, the gas piston rotates the cylinder back 90 degrees and another round is loaded.
continued............