Australia appoints NIOA as prime contractor for next generation sniper and close combat capabilities of Australian Army.

According to Army Technology, Queensland-based NIOA has been officially appointed as the prime contractor to deliver next-generation sniper and close combat capabilities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) under the ADF’s Lethality Systems project LAND 159 Tranche 1.
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Accuracy International AX-SR has been selected as the platform for the Long Range Sniper Capability (Picture source: SGT Tristan Kennedy/Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence)

A multi-million-dollar agreement has been signed between NIOA and the Australian Federal Government. It is part of a more than $500m commitment made by the government to provide ‘enhanced lethality weapon systems for the ADF, Army Technology reports. The new weapon systems to be acquired include ZU Bladeworx’s Double-Edged Fighting Knife, the SIG Sauer P320 XCarry Pro, the Benelli M3A1, the SIG Sauer MCX in .300 Blackout calibre, Accuracy International AX-SR, and Sniper Surveillance Capability and Barrett Firearms Manufacturing’s M107A1 rifle.

With the award, the company will partner with several sub-contractors to fulfil the contract requirements, Army Technology reports. NIOA will be responsible for acquiring the selected weapon system and offering services to support the weapons’ authentication, certification, and launch into service. It will also provide through-life support for those systems.