F88 Austeyr
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 508 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
- Introduced
- 1989
About
What it is, and why it matters
The F88 Austeyr is a gas-operated, bullpup assault rifle manufactured by Thales Australia (now Lithgow Arms) under license from Steyr Mannlicher. Adopted by the Australian Defence Force in January 1989, it replaced both the L1A1 SLR and M16A1, becoming the first bullpup rifle to serve as a standard-issue weapon for a major Western military. Based on the Steyr AUG A1 design, the F88 features a progressive trigger mechanism where a partial pull fires in semi-automatic mode and a full pull engages automatic fire. The bullpup configuration places the action behind the trigger group, resulting in a significantly shorter overall length of 790mm while maintaining a full 508mm barrel, giving soldiers enhanced maneuverability in confined spaces without sacrificing ballistic performance. The F88 was manufactured at the historic Lithgow Small Arms Factory in New South Wales and served as Australia's standard service rifle for over 25 years before being succeeded by the Enhanced F88 (EF88).
When the Australian Army adopted the radically different bullpup F88 in 1989, soldiers accustomed to the powerful L1A1 SLR initially nicknamed it 'the plastic fantastic' with skepticism. The rifle quickly proved itself in the field, however, and served Australian forces from Somalia to Afghanistan-the longest continuous operational service of any Steyr AUG variant.
Standard magazine capacity: 30 rounds. Factory finish: olive drab.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Thales Australia
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- Australia
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1989
- Variant of
- Licensed production
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 508 mm
- Overall length
- 790 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Polymer
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Olive drab
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 969 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1700 J
- Effective range
- 300 m
- Maximum range
- 3600 m
- Rate of fire
- 680 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Bullpup configuration
Rotating bolt
Chrome lined barrel
Select fire
Quick change barrel
1.5x optical sight
Translucent magazine
Progressive trigger
Bayonet lug
Grenade launcher compatible
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 3.60 kg | 3.60 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 156 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 790 mm | 920 mm | Shorter than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 508 mm | 449 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the F88 Austeyr
How much does the F88 Austeyr weigh?
The F88 Austeyr weighs 3.60 kg (7.94 lb) empty.
What caliber is the F88 Austeyr?
The F88 Austeyr is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the F88 Austeyr hold?
The F88 Austeyr holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the F88 Austeyr?
The F88 Austeyr is 790 mm (31.1 in) long overall, with a 508 mm (20.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the F88 Austeyr?
The F88 Austeyr is made by Thales Australia (Australia).
When was the F88 Austeyr introduced?
The F88 Austeyr was introduced in 1989.
How does the F88 Austeyr operate?
The F88 Austeyr uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Australian Army
- 1989
- Royal Australian Navy
- 1989
- Royal Australian Air Force
- 1989
- Philippine Marine Corps
- Philippines
- East Timor Defence Force
- Timor-Leste
Provenance
Confidence in this record
87%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/f88-austeyr' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "f88-austeyr", "name": "F88 Austeyr", "manufacturer": { "id": "thales-australia", "name": "Thales Australia", "countryCode": "AU", "foundedYear": 1912, "website": "https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/countries-asia-pacific/australia", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:46", "version": "c6deb48428779f338eaa9561900613581919b43eae594b4b29ee46dc4553f613" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "AU", "year_introduced": 1989, "barrel_length_mm": 508, "weight_empty_g": 3600, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}