Land Warfare: The future of the F88 | ADM Nov 2010

Work on transforming the ADF’s F88 Austeyr assault rifle into a more lethal, accurate weapon with an ability to embed electronic architecture is proceeding on schedule, with six prototypes now developed and testing planned in temperatures ranging from extremely hot to freezing.

Julian Kerr | Sydney

This extensive development is being undertaken by Thales Australia in conjunction with Defence under Land 125 Phase 3C, a project which is also intended to make the enhanced rifle, dubbed the EF88, potentially become an integral and linked part of the wider Land 125 digital soldier systems architecture.

Although there will be no change to the design of the internal components of the current weapon, the intention is to equip the ADF with new-build EF88s rather than upgrade the approximately 76,000 F88s now in service.

This represents both a major challenge and long-term employment for the Thales Australia small arms and development team in Lithgow.

Second pass approval for Phase 3C is expected in mid-2013, with initial operating capability anticipated by mid-2014.

Cost is estimated at towards the lower end of a $500 million-$1,500 million band.

The EF88 will retain many of the proven characteristics of the in-service weapon including trigger pressure, methods of operation, and the advanced, Australian-produced 5.56mmx45mm F1 cased ammunition.

However, opening the weapon to receive an embedded electronic architecture will allow the integration of battlefield electronic equipment such as thermal weapon sights, infra-red sensors and night aiming devices.

RIC

At the heart of the new capability is an integrated push button controller known as the Rifle Input Control (RIC), designed and manufactured by Thales Australia and Kord Defence and attached to the front grip of the rifle.

The RIC has also received development funding through DSTO’s Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) program

Provided some form of remote control interface is available, the RIC can also connect to and control accessories such as radios and torches attached not to a soldier’s weapon, but to their body or helmet.

Using the RIC relies heavily on muscle memory, and three years of research and trial have been devoted to determining its optimal ergonomic shape.

Buttons on the device are assigned on the basis of the frequency and importance of the functions to be controlled.

After a few hours training, soldiers are able to commit the button combinations to memory and operate the accessories with confidence, enabling them to keep their eyes on task and their hands on their weapon.

According to Thales Australia, tests under field conditions have proved the RIC to be more accurate and at least twice as fast to operate as other types of controls such as conventional touch screen and pointing systems.

Cognitive research of the RIC technology continues at the company’s Australian Transformation and Innovation Centre at Garden Island in Sydney, and at the Thales Centre for Expertise for Human Factors at Delft in the Netherlands.

The EF88 will be delivered as four variants; rifleman, commander, marksman and grenadier.

The weapon will be able to be configured to any variant in the field, while its modular design will facilitate the integration of future accessories.

A key element in EF88 development has been to optimise the centre of gravity provided by the weapon’s bullpup design (one where the magazine is located behind the pistol grip).

Such positioning is vital to enable the operator to engage targets quickly and accurately at short ranges, while ensuring precision and high probabilities of hit at greater ranges.

This has been particularly important with the grenadier variant, which will feature a side-loading, under-barrel grenade launcher that can fire all current lethal and non-lethal ammunition types.

The variant also includes an innovative trigger system that significantly reduces the time taken to switch between firing 5.56mm ammunition and 40mm grenades.

Timeline

The Detailed Design Review was completed late in 2009, prior to which the Thales development team successfully fired the six prototype EF88s.

The overall test plan, intended to ensure the ADF receives an assault rifle as reliable as any other in the world, includes firing 500,000 rounds during the qualification period.

Most of this will occur at Lithgow but some will take place at Thales’ Mulwala plant and Commonwealth facilities.

A major element of the qualification process will be exposing the weapon to appropriate environmental and climatic extremes, ranging from 71 degrees C to -46 degrees, driving and freezing rain, mud, and driving sand.

Where such tests will take place and their duration has yet to be decided.

In parallel with EF88 development, Thales Australia says it is exploring electronic architecture integration onto a number of other weapons.

As with the EF88, the basic elements are a remote control, a command distribution system, and an interface with the accessories.