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Aussie EF88 rifle approaches delivery milestone

27th February 2020 - 14:00 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Christchurch

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Deliveries of EF88 bullpup rifles to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) are nearing completion, with just 4,000 of these 5.56mm weapons left to be completed. With this milestone in sight, Thales Australia is looking to cement export sales for its premier rifle product.

An ADF production contract, signed with Thales Australia in July 2015 under Project Land 125 Phase 3C, promised the delivery of 30,000 rifles plus 2,500 SL40 40mm under-barrel grenade launchers.

This A$100 million (US$65.7 million) contract saw all rifles manufactured at Thales Australia’s facility in Lithgow, New South Wales. It takes 5.9h to build a single

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Gordon Arthur

Gordon Arthur was the Asia Pacific editor for Shephard Media. Born in Scotland and educated …

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