One of the highlights each year is Heckler & Koch‘s booth at EnforceTac. It’s easy to underestimate this two-day exhibition and its importance for defense and homeland security. About 8,000 people from about 70 countries come to the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg each year, which may look like a low figure but Enforce Tac is a trade fair for professionals from government agencies with security responsibilities and the armed forces only. Next year the exhibition will grow with one more exhibition hall, and one day extra, and we’re already looking forward to 2024. Heckler & Koch has its natural place here, and their booth is always crowded. In this article we will focus on the HK437 in 7″ and 9″ configurations. We wish we could take even better pictures than these, but you have to fight to even get a short glimpse of these things.
Heckler & Koch and A-Tec Suppressors @ TFB:
Below: HK437 with the A-Tec A-Flow suppressor. You can find more information about this suppressor here.
Heckler & Koch calls the HK437 “Maximum power in submachine gun size”. It may be a coincidence, then maybe not, that the German Police recently came out and said they are looking for a replacement for their H&K MP5, as they want to be able to reach out further (and harder) than a 9×19 mm. The HK437 certainly has that potential, as the overall size is comparable.
There is both a G36 and MP5 paddle design and HK416/AR-15 push-button design to operate the HK437. The handguards have M-LOK or HKey options.
Description from H&K’s website:
Speaks fluently supersonic and subsonic – also at the same time.
The HK437 is available in 7 and 9 inch barrel lengths. With the appropriate gas adjustment, the HK437 can fire both supersonic and subsonic ammunition in mixed mode. The weapon shares the operating concept of the HK433. There is a choice of the push-button operating mode for users trained on HK416/AR-15 systems as well as paddle operating for trained G36/MP5 users.
The HK437 can be set to safety in any loading state. Most, if not everything is as modular as possible. The buttstock interface allows for a large number of versions to be used – from a standard shoulder buttstock (which folds to the right side of the receiver), tactical helmet buttstock for helmets with short protective visors and helmet buttstock for helmets with long protective visors.
According to the German Magazine Soldat & Technik, the Ministry of the Interior, Municipal Affairs, Housing and Sports of the State of Schleswig-Holstein recently commissioned Heckler & Koch Germany to manufacture and supply the HK437 in .300 Blackout. Apparently, the German Police in Schleswig-Holstein will get 60 weapons for training and 140 weapons for operations. To our knowledge, this was the first official order for the HK437.
Serial number 8. There is a chamber check marker that serves as a visual check aid to see the bolt group position.
The HK437 offers Over-the-beach (OTB) capability and reaches NATO’s firing pin safety drop test, as per standard NATO AC225/D14. The H&K barrel is made of cold hammer forged special steel.
The dimensions of the HK437 are comparable to those of classic submachine guns such as the MP5 and MP5 SD, but it has a longer operational range and the terminal effect compared to 9 mm submachine guns is greater.
This firearm has a role as a medium-range weapon for police forces or as a special weapon for special forces – especially when used with a suppressor and compatible ammunition.
HK437 serial number 7
Here is a detailed look at the A-Tec A-Flow suppressor.
Gas adjustment for supersonic and subsonic ammunition. The A-Tec suppressor (A-Flow 1+2) weighs about 550 grams, which is comparable with the competitors and far from the heaviest one.
The HK437 has 8-inch rifling for supersonic and subsonic ammunition.
The non-reciprocating charging handle decouples when the bolt group is running. It also has a forward assist functionality. The handle can be set to the right or left side without the use of any tools.
H&K also showed the SFP9CC, H&K’s upcoming micro-compact carry pistol. Read more about it here: [EnforceTac 2023] H&K Presents the Ultra-Compact SFP9CC.
Here at EnforceTac, most of the firearms have the “fun switch” to go full-auto. The following, and much more public, exhibition IWA OutdoorClassics is much larger, but then all those kinds of firearms are forbidden and not on display. So we enjoy the HK416s, HK433s, and HK237s as much as we can here, not to mention the H&K Machine Guns and the MP7.
Heckler & Koch offers a wide variety of products:
- Guns for official agencies, gun components, ammunition, gun security
- Pistols
- Sub-machine guns
- Fully-automatic rifles
- Semi-automatic rifles
- Launching devices
- Training weapons
- Precision marksmen’s guns
Contact Information to the manufacturer:
Heckler und Koch Straße 1
78727 Oberndorf
Germany
You can find their website here: www.heckler-koch.com