Since the formation of the Australian Army on 1 March 1901, it has used a variety of weaponry and equipment, sourced mainly from British, American and less frequently, other European manufacturers, but also weapons and equipment produced by local Australian manufacturers.
The Australian Army came into being when the six British colonies of Australia all held referendums to join, and voted in favour of forming a federation, creating the modern nation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Prior to doing so, each of the Australian colonies were responsible for their own defence, and all had separate colonial armies. As each colonial army was responsible for the defence of their own colony, each colony separately contracted the purchase of their own equipment, so at the time that each colonial army merged into the newly formed Australian Army, there was a variety of incompatible equipment used by the various interstate units.
One of the first tasks of the newly formed Army following restructure and the creation of unified hierarchy and command chains, was to uniformly equip the new national army. This was no easy task, as at the time of the foundation of the Australian Army, all six colonial armies were in the field involved in the Second Boer War. Whilst badge-changing ceremonies were performed and hats and uniforms supplied, it proved impractical to fully re-equip in the field. Consequently, the Martini–Henry rifle, which was favoured by the majority of colonial units, continued in use until about 1910.
Second Boer War The Australian Army was founded by a merger of the six separate armies of the six independent Australian British colonies. When those forces merged officially on 1 March 1901, during the Second Boer War in South Africa, all six colonies had troops already engaged in combat in the field. It was obviously impossible and unnecessary to completely re-equip and re-uniform the forces while they were deployed, and most of the colonial armies wore similar khaki uniforms anyway. A symbolic ceremony to replace colonial badges was held in the field during which Australian soldiers were given the Rising Sun Badge, the new symbol of the Australian Army, for the first time.
Infantry weapons Side-arms Beaumont–Adams revolver (.450 calibre) Enfield revolver (.476 calibre) Webley revolver (.455 calibre) Long-arms Martini–Henry rifle (.577/.450 calibre) Snider–Enfield rifle (.577 calibre) Lee–Enfield rifle (.303 calibre) Lee–Metford rifle (.303 calibre)
Horses Waler horse
First World War
By the outbreak of World War I, the equipment of the Australian Army had become standardised, and was essentially the same as most of the armies of the British Empire. The one major difference was the preference of kangaroo leather over canvas for webbing and other equipment, straps and belts.
Infantry weapons Side-arms Enfield revolver (.476 calibre) Webley revolver (.455 calibre) Long-arms Lee–Enfield rifle (.303 calibre) Grenade Jam Tin Grenade Mills Bomb Light machine-gun Lewis Gun (.303 calibre) Hotchkiss Gun (.303 calibre) used by the Light Horse Heavy machine-gun Vickers machine gun (.303 calibre)Infantry-support Stokes Mortar (3 inch calibre)
Horses Waler horse
Artillery Trench Mortar Garland Trench Mortar (65mm) 2 inch Medium Mortar Heavy mortar 9.45 inch Heavy Mortar Field guns 4.5 inch Howitzer 18-Pounder Field GunVehicles Armoured Cars Model T Ford (with mounted Lewis Gun) Rolls-Royce Type A (with mounted Lewis Gun) 50 HP Daimler (with mounted M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun) 60 HP Mercedes (with mounted M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun) 50 HP Minerva (with mounted M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun)
Aircraft (The Australian Flying Corps which served in WWI was an Army unit, not a separate airforce.) Airco DH 5 Airco DH.6 Armstrong Whitworth F.K.3 Avro 504 Bleriot XI Bristol Boxkite Bristol F.2 Fighter Bristol Scout Caudron G.3 Curtiss JN Jenny Deperdussin Grahame-White Type XV Boxkite Handley Page 0/400 Martinsyde S.1 Martinsyde G.100 Martinsyde G.102 Farman MF.7 Longhorn Farman MF.11 Shorthorn Maurice Farman Seaplane/Landplane Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5A Sopwith Buffalo (two prototypes for trials only) Sopwith Baby (one aircraft flown by the Royal Australian Navy in 1917) Sopwith Camel (AFC, RAN) Sopwith Pup (AFC, RAN) Sopwith Snipe Sopwith 1½ Strutter (AFC, RAN)
Second World War
At the beginning of World War II, the Australian Army was continuing with the practice of sourcing military equipment from the United Kingdom as it had done in the colonial era and the first three decades of the twentieth century. However, as the war progressed, Britain's difficulties in keeping up production demand, Australia's geographic isolation, and a differing focus on war policies and theatres, caused Australia increasingly to obtain arms, equipment, and military assistance from the United States. Infantry weapons Side-arms Enfield Revolver MK II (.38 calibre) Webley Revolver MK IV (.38 calibre) Smith & Wesson Victory (.38 calibre) Webley Revolver MK VI (.455 calibre) Rifles Lee–Enfield SMLE No.1 MkIII* Rifle (.303 calibre) Lee–Enfield No.4 MkI/MkI* Rifle (.303 calibre) (used in small quantities by frontline forces. Mostly went to arm secondary units, commando units and the Volunteer Defence Corps) Pattern 1914 Enfield (Used in small numbers as a sniper rifle.) Grenade Mills Bomb M36 Sub-machine-gun Owen Gun (9mm calibre) Austen MK I (and MK II) (9×19mm Parabellum) Thompson submachine gun (.45 calibre) Light machine-gun Lewis Gun (.303 calibre) (Mainly used as anti aircraft weapon:) Bren Gun (.303 calibre) Heavy machine-gun Vickers Machine Gun (.303 calibre)Infantry-support Stokes Mortar (3 inch calibre) Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 (flamethrower) Anti-armour Rifle, Anti-Tank, .55 in, Boys (.551 calibre) PIAT
Artillery Mortars 2 inch Medium Mortar 3 inch Medium Mortar Heavy mortar 9.45 inch Heavy Mortar Field guns 4.5 inch Howitzer Ordnance QF 18 pounder Field Gun Ordnance QF 25 pounder Field Gun
Vehicles Amphibious vehicles DUKW Amphibious JeepScout cars Dingo S1 Scout Car
Armoured cars Rover Light Armoured Car Bren Carrier Staghound
Tanks Australian Cruiser Tank Mk1 - Sentinel Churchill Tank Cruiser Tank Matilda Tank Grant Tank Sherman Tank (3 for trials purposes only) Stuart Tank
Korean War When the Korean War began many Australian units were still equipped with weapons that they had used during World War II. Whilst there were minor changes such as the replacement of the British QF 4.5 inch Howitzer by the American-built 105 mm Howitzer M3 as the primary artillery piece, the most dramatic changes to Australian equipment during the Korean War period were to the aircraft used by the Royal Australian Air Force. Important lessons learned during the Korean War later influenced the way the Australian Army re-equipped to adapt to the needs of modern warfare in time for the Australian Army's entry into the Vietnam War. Infantry weapons Side-arms Enfield Revolver MK II (.380 calibre) Webley Revolver MK IV (.38 calibre) M1911 Long-arms Lee–Enfield SMLE No.1 MkIII* Rifle (.303 calibre) Lee–Enfield No.4 MkI Rifle (.303 calibre) (in limited use) Grenade Mills Bomb M36 Sub-machine-guns Owen Gun (9mm calibre) Sterling Submachine Gun (Trials) Light machine-gun Bren Gun (.303 calibre) Heavy machine-gun Vickers Machine Gun (.303 calibre)Infantry-support SBML 2 inch MortarKuring 2004, p. 245. Ordnance ML 3 inch Mortar M2A2 flamethrower Anti-armour M20 Bazooka (89 mm) Ordnance QF 17 pounder
Vietnam War The Vietnam War proved to be a highly mobile operation for Australian forces, who often engaged their enemies during arduous jungle patrols through thick and difficult terrain. Much of the equipment used on the battlefields of the Korean War proved to be too cumbersome for this type of warfare, including long-arms such as the Lee–Enfield SMLEs. However, the Australian Army had become an expert at jungle warfare during their campaigns in South-East Asia against the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II, and the lessons in jungle warfare they had learned proved invaluable in the choosing of equipment for the Vietnam War. Long rifles continued to be used by snipers, but infantry patrols favoured the use of battle rifles such as the L1A1 and assault rifles such as the M16. The heavy machine-guns which were useful for the static defences of the Korean War were replaced by the lighter general-purpose M60 machine gun, which was man-portable by a patrol machine-gunner. Infantry weapons Side-arms Colt 1911A1 (.45 calibre) L9A1 Browning Hi-Power (9×19mm Parabellum) Long-arms L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (licensed FN FAL derivative) (7.62 calibre) M14 rifle (used by the Special Air Service Regiment) M21 Sniper Weapon System (used on a small scale by Australian troops in the later years of the Vietnam War) Grenades M26 grenade M79 grenade launcher / various smoke grenades Assault rifles Colt M16A1 (5.56 calibre) Colt M16A1 (5.56 calibre) fitted with under-barrel M203 grenade launcher Sub-machine-guns F1 submachine gun (9×19mm Parabellum) Owen Gun (9×19mm Parabellum) Sterling submachine gun (used by Australian SAS troopers in Vietnam) CAR-15 (5.56 calibre) (used by Australian SAS troopers) General-purpose machine gun M60 machine gun (7.62 calibre) L2A1 LMG SLR Varient (7.62 calibre) L4A1 Bren Varient (7.62 calibre) L3(A3&A4) GPMG Browning M1919 Varients (.30-06 calibre) M2HB Heavy Machinegun (.50 calibre)Infantry-support L16 81mm Mortar M2A1-7 flamethrower Anti-personnel M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel Mine Anti-armour M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon M20 Bazooka ENTAC Anti-tank guided missile
Artillery M2A2 howitzer L5 (Aust) Pack Howitzer 105-mm (103 Battery)
Vehicles Land Rover series
Armoured Personnel Carriers M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier Fire Support vehicle (FSV) (hybrid of M113 with Alvis Saladin turret fitted)
Tanks Centurion tank
Aircraft Cessna 180 Pilatus PC-6 Bell H-13 Sioux UH-1 Iroquois (RAAF) DHC-4 Caribou (RAAF) Canberra Bomber (RAAF)
Late 20th Century After the Vietnam war the Australian Army suffered severe budget cut-backs, and expenditure on equipment decreased as a result. The army was scaled back in size, and experienced a period of very little overseas deployment for the first time in the post–World War II period. Despite this the Army did manage to continue to modernise its weaponry and equipment. During the 1980s traditional long-arms such as the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) were phased out and finally withdrawn from front line service by 1990, and replaced by the locally produced F88 Austeyr, a derivative of the Austrian Steyr AUG which is still in service . During the 1980s the khaki field uniforms that had been used by the Australian Army since its foundation in 1901 were replaced by Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform. Infantry weapons Side-arms L9A1 Browning Hi-Power (9×19mm Parabellum) Long-arms L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle (licensed FN FAL derivative) (7.62 calibre) Parker Hale M82 (.308 calibre Sniper-Rifle) Grenades F1 grenade M79 grenade launcher / various smoke grenades Assault rifles F88 Austeyr (locally produced Steyr AUG derivative, adopted 1988, replaced by later variants of the Austeyr) (5.56 NATO calibre) M16A1 /M16S1 Used by the Australian Army until 1989 when the F88 Austeyr came into service. Australian forces involved in UN peacekeeping operations in Namibia, Western Sahara, and Cambodia used the M16A1 rifle well into the early 1990s. Light machine-gun F1 Submachine Gun (9×19mm Parabellum) FN Minimi as F89 (5.56 calibre) Sterling Submachine Gun (9×19mm Parabellum) General-purpose machine guns Bren Gun as L4A1 (7.62 calibre) L2A1 LMG SLR Varient (7.62 calibre)