Recent tests on the new rifle have shown that it suffers none of the accuracy problems seen in the G36 under extreme conditions.

Swapping out just 1,200 of the more than 160,000 rifles used by the Bundeswehr will only be an interim solution for soldiers on deployment in combat zones.

But both replacements will come from the same manufacturer behind the problematic G36 rifle, world-renowned gun maker Heckler and Koch (HK).

A more permanent decision about whether to replace the army's entire stock of G36 rifles will come later this year.

The scandal around the Bundeswehr's standard-issue weapon produced by Heckler and Koch began in the spring when rumours about accuracy problems in hot conditions or when the weapon had been used for sustained fire appeared in the media.

Media reports then emerged suggesting Heckler and Koch had asked Germany's military counterintelligence agency (MAD) to prevent reports about the problems with the weapon being published - with backing from Defence Ministry officials.

Under pressure, Germany's Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said in April that the G36 had "no future" in the military in its current form after an in-depth study demonstrated problems with the weapon.

The HK417 is a gas-operated, selective fire assault rifle with a rotating bolt and is essentially an enlarged HK416 assault rifle. Chambered for the full-power 7.62×51mm NATO round, instead of a less powerful intermediate cartridge, the HK417 is intended for use as a designated marksman rifle, and in other roles where the greater penetrative power and range of the 7.62×51mm NATO round are required. It has been adopted for service by a number of armed forces, such as France, UK and Australia.