With the Land Forces 22 conference now over and the announcement of winners of the LAND 159 Lethality System Program Tranche 1 now done and dusted, it is time to turn our focus to the finer details.

I was lucky enough to attend the conference on the Wednesday and spoke to a few of the lads responsible for the selection of this fine weapon system and some of the lads who will help bring it into service. Years of work has gone into this project with the quality of the equipment selected being testament to that.

If you want to read about our initial announcement about the Accuracy International AXSR winning click this link: BREAKING NEWS: Australian Defence Force Chooses The Accuracy International AXSR As Its New Sniper Weapon System.

“The Long Range Sniper capability, will provide precision fire against enemy combatants at greater ranges in day and night conditions. The system will include precision optics, night vision, and range-finding devices. User aids such as weather sensors and portable ballistic computers will complete the Long Range Sniper Capability to deliver increased hit probability at greater ranges by day and night. The system will be suppressed to reduce the firing signature.”

Land 159 Lethality system program booklet produced by nioa and casg

Let’s break down the system into what we know and some conjecture as well (conjecture will be clearly noted). We will have three different categories: Rifle, Optical System and Accessories.

Rifle

  • Accuracy International AXSR
  • Action: Front Locking, 6 lug bolt action
  • 20 MOA STANAG standard rail
  • Trigger: 2-Stage, 2.5lb (1.1kg) with adjustable LOP
  • Barrels: Stainless steel, match grade, cut rifled in .338 Lapua Magnum (27 inch), .300 Norma Magnum (27 inch) and 7.62mm NATO (20 inch). At this stage I am unsure on twist rates they have chosen; however, they are normally 1:9, 1:8 and 1:10 respectively. The twist rates are still to be confirmed
  • Each barrel will be fitted with a Thunder Beast Arms Corporation 338 Ultra SR brake with 3/4×24 thread
  • QuickLoc barrel change system
  • Bolt Bodies: .338LM/.300NM and 308Win
  • Safety: 2-Position ambidextrous lever type safety
  • Stock: Right side folding, quick adjustable LOP & Cheek height with tool less adjustments
  • Magazines: 3 models all 10 rounds double stack. Of note the .338 Lapua Magnum and .300 Norma Magnum magazines are exactly the same except for the cartridge stamp on the rear and the 7.62 NATO magazine is designed for short action cartridges
  • Left-Side magwell cut-out to help with reloading in the prone position
  • Forend: M-LOK with integrated RRS dovetail (ARCA) and integrated 12 o’clock picatinny rail
  • Hand Grip: RRS dovetail (ARCA) with a textured barricade stop
  • Pistol grip: Standard AR style Ergo branded grip which has been angled rearward approx 10 degrees for a more vertical grip.

Optical System

  • Nightforce MIL-Spec ATACR 7-35×56 with illuminated TREMOR 3 Reticle
  • Nightforce Ultra Mount
  • Nightforce RAP-i Mount
  • Nightforce 29.2 MIL / 100.3 MOA Wedge Prism
  • Accuracy 1st Bubble Level
  • Leupold 45o AR Mount
  • Leupold Delta Point Pro 2.5 MOA
  • Leonardo DRS Improved Day/Night Observation Device (INOD)
  • AN/PVS26 Image Intensifier
  • L3 Harris Small Precision Enhanced Aiming Rangefinder (SPEAR) Target Engagement and Sighting System (TESS)
  • Leupold MK4 Spotting Scope (Unknown Reticle)

Accessories

  • Atlas PRS Bipod with RRS ARCA/Picatinny clamp, leg extensions and spiked feet
  • Badger Ordnance Gen 2 Angle Cosign Indicator
  • Magpul MLOK QD Mount and Magpul Picatinny Rail QD Mount
  • TAB Gear PRS Sling
  • Kestrel 5700X Elite Ballistic Weather Meter
  • Garmin Foretrex Ballistic Edition
  • Accuracy 1st Whiz Wheel
  • Sabre Rear Shooting Bag (Multicam)
  • Steiner M830R 1535nm LRF
  • Thunderbeast Arms 338 Ultra SR Suppressor with Armageddon Gear TBAC 338 Ultra Suppressor cover
  • Fix-It Sticks Torque Limiter Kit
  • Labradar and accessories
  • RRS Tripod
  • Hard and Soft Travel Cases (at this stage it is unknown what brand they will go with; however, for the soft case i suspect they will go with an Armageddon Gear Case)

As you can see the ADF has gone all out on this project and acquired some top tier equipment to supplement the AXSR. I for one am extremely impressed with their selection and couldn’t have done better myself. In fact I use a lot of this same equipment with my own AXSR with a few exceptions.

This system is future proofed and should serve the ADF Sniper Teams for at least the next 20-30 years or more.