The G36 has since been modernized for the German Army under the "G36A2" designation. This form introduced a quick-detaching collimating sight device mated to a Picatinny accessories rail. The handguard was redesigned from aluminum with four accessory install points while the stock was of a more compact nature.
After introduction of the base G36 assault model, HK introduced the "G36E" for export (hence the "E" in the designation). However, this designation was eventually superseded by "G36V" (V = "Variant") some time later. The G36E/V marks were essentially the same German Army G36 service assault rifles with the exception of a NATO-standard bayonet mounting and a more limited 1.5x optical scope while also lacking the collimating reflex sight.
The "MG36" was a light machine gun modification of the base G36 system which fired from a 100-round Beta C-Mag dual-drum magazine. For the sustained fire role required of this type of weapon, a heavy duty barrel was utilized to counter the effects of overheating (deformation or cracking of the barrel assembly). The MG36 was of course offered for export as the "MG36E" though both have since been discontinued in production.
It was only natural to develop the G36 long gun into a shortened carbine as the G36K (K = "Kurz", meaning "short"). This compact weapon retained the key qualities of its assault rifle brethren save for a shorter barrel and forend assembly which reduced overall length. The resulting shorter barrel, however, lost the capability to fire rifle grenades though this could be offset by installation of the 40x46mm HK AG36 underslung grenade launcher. An accessories rail ran across the bottom of the forend to which various tactical accessories (foregrip, laser aimers, flashlights, etc...) could be fitted. Two versions of the G36K were eventually produced and these were differentiated from one another by one lacking the over-receiver carrying handle (iron sights with rail accessories support being fitted instead). The carbine variant existed in the export-minded G36KV (KV = "Kurz Variant") form.
A further evolution of the already-compact G36K produced the G36C (C = "Compact") which included an even shorter barrel and forend design while lacking the over-receiver carrying handle. A Picatinny rail was added for accessories mounting along the top of the receiver (as well as the sides and underside of the hand guard) and iron sights were used to compensate for the lack of integral sighting devices.
Since its inception, the G36 has proven globally popular and its use has gone beyond military-minded customers to include special forces, police and security forces. Beyond Germany, the G36 is actively operated by Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Jordan, South Korea, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United Sates. By many accounts, the HK G36 is a highly-regarded automatic weapon system.
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