HK USA started 2004
Virginia, New Hampshire, Georgia
- 1948, three former Mauser engineers, Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch, and Alex Seidel, salvaged machine tools and started in the vacant Mauser factory
- December 28, 1949 changed name to Heckler & Koch GmbH
- 1959 G3 battle rifle adopted by the West German army
- 1966 MP5 submachine gun introduced
- 1974 – diversified
– Defense and Law Enforcement
– Hunting and Sports - 2004 – HK416
- 2005 – Heckler & Koch Defense Inc
– U.S. affiliate of Heckler & Koch
– Sterling, Virginia - 2007 – new facility in Ashburn, Virginia
- 2008 – HK begins to build pistols in the USA
– HK45 first HK officially ‘Made in the USA’ - 2008 Newington, New Hampshire factory opened
– 70,000 square foot
– to build HK MR556 and HK MR762 - locations in
– Ashburn, Virginia
– Newington, New Hampshire
– Columbus, Georgia - 2017 Closed Newington and moved to Georgia
– 50,000 square-foot
About Heckler & Koch
Heckler & Koch is a German small arms maker headquartered in Oberndorf am Neckar, the town long associated with Mauser. Former Mauser engineers Edmund Heckler, Theodor Koch and Alex Seidel started an engineering office there in 1948, and the company was registered as Heckler & Koch GmbH on December 28, 1949. Its roller-delayed G3 rifle became the standard rifle of the West German Bundeswehr in 1959, and the related MP5 submachine gun, introduced in 1966 as the HK54 and launched as the MP5 in 1969, became one of the most recognized police and special operations weapons in the world.
Later designs include the USP pistol (produced from 1989), the G36 rifle (adopted by Germany in 1995) and the HK416, which Norway fielded as its standard rifle in 2007 and which is widely used by U.S. and allied forces. The company was owned by British Aerospace’s Royal Ordnance division from 1991 until a 2002 sale to private investors, and Nicolas Walewski’s CDE has held a majority stake since July 2020. For American shooters, HK is best known for its pistols and for civilian versions of its military designs sold through its U.S. operation.
Key Facts
- December 28, 1949: registered as Heckler & Koch GmbH in Oberndorf am Neckar
- 1959: G3 declared the Bundeswehr’s standard rifle
- 1969: MP5 launched (introduced as the HK54 in 1966)
- 1991: sold to British Aerospace’s Royal Ordnance division
- 2002: sold to private investors, forming HK Beteiligungs GmbH
- 2007: Norway becomes the first military to adopt the HK416 as standard issue
Sources
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