Category ADF
Two New Publications: Ammunition in Syria & AGLs for the ADF
Whilst the bulk of my attention lately has gone into writing for (and running!) Armament Research Services (ARES) and our blog, The Hoplite, I have had two new pieces released elsewhere recently. First, for the Small Arms Survey, I wrote a report examining small-calibre ammunition documented in Syria. From the Survey press release: The Working Paper Following […]
Thales selects Steyr SL40 grenade launcher for EF88
Thales Australia have announced today that they have selected the Steyr SL40 grenade launcher to be paired with their EF88 assault rifle, which is being offered to the Australian Defence Forces under Defence’s LAND 125 Phase 3C program. The EF88 was originally offered with the Madritsch Weapon Technology ML40AUS grenade launcher, however a source close to […]
Which Light Weight Automatic Grenade Launcher for the ADF?
The following is an excerpt of an article scheduled to appear in a forthcoming issue of the Small Arms Defence Journal (Vol.6 No.1), which examines the contenders for the Australian Defence Force’s LWAGL requirement. The complete article is over 3000 words in length, and discusses the grenade launchers, ammunition, and fire control systems of each […]
Update II: EF88/F90 assault rifle and grenade launcher(s)
For those who have not been following my articles on the Thales Australia EF88 rifle, you can start here. There is also some additional video of the EF88 and ML40AUS being fired, as well as some high-speed footage of the ML40AUS being fired. In the latest image of the EF88 above, note that the bolt catch release, as […]
EF88: Australia’s Next-Generation Assault Rifle
This piece is adapted from an article appearing in Volume 5, Number 1 of the Small Arms Defence Journal. In September 2012, I had the opportunity to visit Lithgow (New South Wales, Australia) at the invitation of Thales Australia in order to conduct a Test and Evaluation (T&E) of their Enhanced F88 Assault Rifle. This […]
Australian F1A1 ball ammunition
When I visited Thales Australia to conduct a T&E of the EF88 assault rifle and ML40AUS grenade launcher in September, I took a few basic photos of the (relatively) new F1A1 ammunition. The cartridge differs from the earlier standard F1 cartridge in several ways, featuring green painted tips, modified case wall thickness, a new propellant […]
Update: EF88 assault rifle and ML40AUS grenade launcher
Many of you following the blog will know I’ve been keeping close tabs on the Thales Australia EF88 assault rifle, being developed under the Land 125 Phase 3C program. I have written a review of the rifle which can be found in Issue 4 of On Duty Magazine, out this month. The rifle can be […]
EF88 Video: test firing the EF88 and ML40AUS
A few more videos from my recent trip to Thales Australia in Lithgow, New South Wales. In these videos, Rob Maylor is test firing the EF88 out to 600m, and the Madritsch ML40AUS at 150m. In the first video, Rob is using the 20″ barrel EF88 (equivalent to the F90M, or Marksman variant) with a […]
ML40AUS grenade launcher high-speed video
I’ve got two articles on the Thales Australia EF88 and the new Madritsch ML40AUS grenade launcher assembly (GLA) in the works. The first will appear in the next edition of On Duty Magazine (which is free for AUS military personnel, LEOs, paramedics, and other front line professionals) and a second, slightly more technically-focused piece, will appear in an […]
Photo of the Day: TNI-AL Boarding Party during Exercise Kakadu
An Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut; TNI-AL) boarding party with Captain Mal Wise, Australian Commander Task Group after a simulated boarding exercise conducted on HMAS Perth (FFH 157), during Exercise KAKADU 2012. Interesting to note the integration of Indonesian Naval SOF, KOPASKA (Komando Pasukan Katak; Frogman Commando Team), operators with a regular Navy boarding party. Australian boarding […]
The Rogue Adventurer 