LONDON, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Australia's Defense Material Organization has contracted Thales Australia for Bullet Trap Blank Firing Attachments for the military's Austeyr F88 rifles.
The publication Defense Update said the 35,000 units ordered will be manufactured at the Australian Soldier Systems Development and Support Center in New South Wales. Additional contract details weren't disclosed.
The BTBFA is attached to the end of the rifle barrel and enables the weapon to function when firing blank ammunition. If a live round is inadvertently fired, the bullet is retained within the BTBFA.
BTBFAs will be used on training ranges and are colored red, enabling easy identification of their use during exercises. They require no modifications to existing weapons and can be maintained for most purposes in the field by the operator, utilizing existing equipment.
The units are about half the weight of the current in-service bayonet, and are optimized for the new Thales F3A1 blank round.
