StG-940

StG-940 Officials Informations
The Wieger StG-940 was an East German series of assault rifles loosely based upon the Kalashnikov AK-74. The StG-940 was chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO and the StG-942 in 5.45×39mm M74. The weapon was tested but not officially adopted by the East German Army. It was conceived and developed from 1985 and produced between 1985 and 1990, during the final phase of East Germany's existence as a state. The brand name is a synaeresis of the words Wiesa (town of manufacture) and Germany. The weapon was intended for export but also for the use of the national special forces (the STG-943 was known to be in use with the Stasi).

Descriptions
The construction of the 920 series was modified, converted to the NATO caliber 5.56 × 45 mm and a 3-shot automatic was installed. In addition to the use of a different plastic for the newly developed hand protection and a new flash hider, the typical GDR shoulder rest and a transparent curve magazine characterize the appearance of the assault rifle. The adaptation of the caliber 5.56 × 45 took place in the VEB ZFT Dresden under the code designation 956. The STG-940 series comprises five well-known models, which include assault rifles in different versions, as well as a light machine gun and a sniper rifle. Different numbers of the 940 model series were assigned to the respective weapon types. In detail these are: The STG-941 as a standard assault rifle with wooden or plastic butt, STG-942 with a foldable metal shoulder rest (both with a barrel length of 415 mm), the STG-943 as a compact version with a shortened barrel (barrel length 317 mm) and a foldable metal shoulder rest; The IMG-944 was intended as a light machine gun with a bipod and a barrel length of 500 mm and the PG-945 precision rifle with a bipod, an extended barrel and a telescopic sight. A weapon with the number 940 does not exist; this is the designation for the basic version of the weapon system.

History
The development of the weapon family and the preparation of series production around 1985 go back to an initiative of the Commercial Coordination (KoKo) of the Ministry of Foreign Trade (MAH) of the GDR. The carrier of the development project was the company IMES GmbH ("Internationale Meßtechnik" Import-Export-GmbH) assigned to KoKo-Hauptabteilung II, which was mainly responsible for the trade in weapons and military equipment. The head of the MAH department trade policy, Klaus-Dieter Uhlig, was also the company manager of IMES GmbH. The “Armament and Chemical Services Department” (BCD) of the Ministry for State Security (MfS) was also involved in this project.

The weapons were produced in the Erzgebirge VEB Gerät- und Werkzeugbau Wiesa (GWB). The company with an annual output of around 100,000 and a targeted production capacity of 200,000 assault rifles of the Kalashnikov system per year was, in addition to the Suhl location, where the individual weapon parts were manufactured, the sole rifle manufacturer in the GDR and responsible for the final assembly of the weapons.

Extensive tests of the weapons of the Wieger 940 series were carried out in September 1988 by a first lieutenant and three non-commissioned officers of the NVA on the premises of the rocket technology base 2 in Brück. 4 STG-941, 3 STG-942 and 3 STG-943 were tested. Around 2,000 rounds were fired with each weapon within three days. Reliable functionality, good accuracy and no significant differences to the comparable Kalashnikov system of the 74 series were certified to the weapons. The barrels showed no visible wear. The test report positively highlighted the resistance to dirt during normal tactical use in the troops, the high accuracy and the handling of the weapons. The too tight fit of the cleaning tool in the handle, which "could only partially be pulled out with the pliers", was assessed negatively.

The STG 941/942 was produced with a number of about 10,000 pieces. The compact version, the STG 943, was tested in an NVA unit in 1989, with only four weapons of the 943 unit being used.