Vol. VII No. 2

Australia’s Bullpup Rifles: A Developmental History of the F88 and EF88 Self-loading Rifles

N.R. Jenzen-Jones

Abstract

Following the experience of the Vietnam War, and in keeping with NATO military trends of the time, Australia began the search for a rifle chambered for a small- calibre, high-velocity cartridge in the 1980s. In 1988, Australia’s bicentenary year, the Austrian Steyr AUG was adopted as the F88 ‘Austeyr’. Manufactured domestically in Lithgow, New South Wales, the F88 went on receive a series of modifications under three distinct upgrade programmes, before being reconceived as the Enhanced F88 (EF88) from 2009 onwards. Now produced by Thales Australia, this latest iteration of the Austrian bullpup continues to serve the ADF around the world. In tracing the development history of what will soon be Australia’s longest-serving family of domestically produced rifles, the author outlines the challenges of maintaining a robust national manufacturing capability for small arms, and highlights solutions undertaken by Defence, industry, and other stakeholders.

Issue: Vol. VII No. 2
Published: 30 Nov 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52357/armax75765
Peer-reviewed?: Yes

Keywords: Australian Army, F88, Steyr, Thales Australia, self-loading rifles, small arms

Bibliographic Information

N.R. Jenzen-Jones, ‘Australia’s Bullpup Rifles: A Developmental History of the F88 and EF88 Self-loading Rifles’, Armax: The Journal of Contemporary Arms, Vol. VII № 2 (2021), pp. 17–34, <https://doi.org/10.52357/armax75765>.

About the Author

N. R. Jenzen-Jones is an arms and munitions intelligence specialist focusing on current and recent conflicts and weapons technologies. He is the Director of Armament Research Services (ARES) and the Editor of Armax: The Journal of Contemporary Arms. He holds a Visiting Fellowship in the School of Law, Policing and Forensics at the University of Staffordshire, and was awarded the Buffalo Bill Center of the West 2022–2023 Resident Fellowship. Mr. Jenzen- Jones serves in consultancy roles with a number of prominent organisations, and has produced extensive research and analysis on a range of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and small- and medium-calibre ammunition issues. He maintains a broad focus on how weapon systems are selected, acquired, stockpiled, and employed.