#AustralianDefenceForce

Back in October 2022, the Australian Defence Force selected the SIG Sauer P320 XCarry Pro as their next sidearm. The P320 XCarry Pro will replace the venerable Browning Hi-Power under Australia’s Lethality System Project LAND 159. The Australian Defence Department have just made their first order for the new pistols worth $20 million (AUD$30 million).

On 30 September the Australian Defence Department announced that it had selected a raft of new weapon systems as part of the first tranche of its major Lethality System Project (LAND 159) project. One of the weapons selected was the Benelli M3A1 which will become Australia’s new Combat Shotgun.

The Australian Department of Defence has announced that under its Lethality System Project LAND 159 project a raft of new small arms have been selected for the Australian Defence Force’s dismounted combatants. The news was announced at the end of last month with Head Land Systems, Major General Andrew Bottrell announcing the selections and saying that “this is a bold step into modern weaponry to quickly improve Australia’s defence preparedness.” Bottrell said early engagement with the industry had proven very successful.

Today’s Photo Of The Day features Australian Army soldiers from the 2nd Commando regiment conducting in a training exercise with their M4A5 rifles.

SIG Sauer and Australian tactical and safety equipment company Aquaterro have announced a strategic partnership which will see the Victoria-based company expand their factory and provide support to SIG Sauer in making offers on future Australian small arms tenders.

The Australian Defence Force has announced it will trial the Israeli SMASH computer aided sighting system from Smart Shooter. Smart Shooter, based in Yagur, Israel, offer a range of rifle mounted electro-optical fire control systems. The company claims that by combining “simple-to-install hardware with our own advanced image-processing software” they can cost effectively turn “basic small arms into 21st century smart weapons.”

The Thales EF88 assault rifle has seen its first operational deployment, and the reception is reportedly very warm. According to an article in Defence Connect, the rifles were deployed with Task Group Taji 5 (5th rotation), a battalion of Australian Defence Force advisers for Iraqi forces deployed as part of Operation Okra. The article reads: