Origin: Germany
Year: 1996
Type: Assault rifle
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
Weight: 3.30 kg (7.3 lb)
Length: 860 mm (33.9 in)
Barrel length: 318 mm (12.5 in)
Capacity: 30 rds (100 rd drum for MG36 variant, adapter available to allow use of STANAG mags)

For most of the Cold War the standard service rifle the (West) German military was the Heckler and Koch G3; however, work began on the development of a replacement as early as the 1970s. H&K initially experimented with a caseless ammunition design known as the G11 with a 5.56x45mm adaptation of the G3 design, the G41 and HK33, developed primarily for the export market. Following the reunification of East and West Germany and subsequent cuts to the German defense budget, the Bundeswehr cancelled the G11 project and instead focused on procuring a 5.56mm rifle. The G41 was offered and rejected, so HK began work on developing a new weapon. This new prototype, designated the HK50, entered trials against the Steyr AUG and was adopted as the new standard issue service rifle of the Bundeswehr as the G36 in 1996.

Multiple variants of the G36 have been produced. Notable variants include the standard G36, the carbine-length G36K, the G36C short-barrelled carbine, the MG36 light machine gun, and the SL8 semi automatic sporting rifle. Though issues regarding the loss of accuracy at high temperatures have caused scandal regarding the rifle in recent years, the G36 family of rifles have and continue to see extensive use with militaries and law enforcement agencies across the globe. Notable users include the German Bundeswehr and Bundespolizei, the Iraqi Kurdistan Peshmerga, the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the United States Capitol Police, the British Special Air Service (SAS), and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.