F1 submachine gun

The 9×19mm Parabellum F1 was a standard Australian submachine gun manufactured by the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. It was designated the X3 while under development. First issued to Australian troops in July 1963, it replaced the Owen machine carbine. The F1 was retired in the early 1990s and replaced by the F88C Austeyr, an Australian-built version of the Steyr AUG rifle with slight modifications. The F1 had a robust and simple design and proved useful in close-quarter fighting during the Vietnam War. However, in Vietnam it was largely replaced by the American 5.56mm M16A1 rifle owing to the 9mm achieving poor penetration through brush and bamboo. Some 25,000 were produced by Lithgow from 1962–73. Malaysia bought a small number of the F1 but this only totaled 28 in number.

Design details