HK421 with ‘para' stock and 330 mm barrel. For illustrative purposes. (Janes/ Amael Kotlarski)
Heckler & Koch (H&K) is currently developing a 5.56×45 mm version of the HK421 light machine gun (LMG), which is currently chambered in 7.62×51 mm.
Speaking at the EnforceTac 2025 defence exhibition, held from 24 to 26 February in Nuremberg, Germany, Greg Mulligan, of the H&K Weapons Expert Team UK, told Janes that the company expects to submit the new machine gun for the UK's recently announced Project Troubler.
The new gun, which has been assigned the commercial designation of HK223, is a scaled-down version of the HK421, originally unveiled at Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2023. No further technical details were provided other than that the HK223 will be a purely belt-fed weapon.
A contract of up to GBP4 million (USD5.1 million) for Project Troubler was officially announced on 14 February 2025, with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) saying it was to “procure a 5.56 mm lightweight (current system 7.1 kg) assault machine gun capability for the dismounted user”. The specified weight corresponds to that of the FN Minimi Para, known in British service as the L110A2.
Furthermore, Mulligan confirmed to Janes that H&K intends to submit both the HK416 and HK433 rifles for the British Army's Project Grayburn, which will replace the SA80 individual weapon system in the British Army. Janes understands that the out-of-service date of the SA80, originally planned for 2030, has now been pushed back to 2035.
Further analysis and assessment onlineDSEI 2023: Heckler & Koch introduces new 7.Looking to read the full article?
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