Looks like the Aussies were influenced by the KAC KS1 that the UK had selected: Thales ACAR

[The Quartermaster]

Thales ACAR​

Thales exhibited the lasted version of their Australian Combat Assault Rifle manufactured by Lithgow.

The caliber, twist rate, finish, and performance for any mission.

Calibers offered include:

5.56mm, 458 SOCOM, 6.5 Grendel, 6mm ARC and 300 BLK.

The ACAR features a cold hammer forged for superior accuracy and chrome-lined barrel for durability, and is designed Future-ready and transfer-of-technology capable to continually evolve against emerging threats.

DSEI 25 - Thales ACAR | Soldier Systems Daily

https://www.lithgowarms.com/acar/

Assault Rifles

 

[AWP]

Thales ACAR​

Calibers offered include:

5.56mm, 458 SOCOM, 6.5 Grendel, 6mm ARC and 300 BLK.

They did their level-headed best to provide all of the "5.56 bad" calibers out there.

NATO really needs to adopt a new universal round or at least finally admit that concept is broken.

 

[Kraut783]

Is the Thales ACAR any good, I had not heard of them before...but, I have been out of the game for a while. Looks good....

 

[Box]

Much like the US Army's new rifle - it looks VERY much like a weapon built around an M16 design platform, while TOTALLY not being a rifle that subjectively appears to have been built around an M16 design platform.

Another very original firearm for the next generation of fully semiautomatic insault rifles...

 

[The Quartermaster]

Much like the US Army's new rifle - it looks VERY much like a weapon built around an M16 design platform, while TOTALLY not being a rifle that subjectively appears to have been built around an M16 design platform.

Another very original firearm for the next generation of fully semiautomatic insault rifles...

I can't speak for the other nations but here in the US, we are so versed in the manual of arms on the M16 that it does make sense sticking with the same muscle memory functions.

 

[The Quartermaster]

Is the Thales ACAR any good, I had not heard of them before...but, I have been out of the game for a while. Looks good....

Lithgow is the version of Enfield and I'd like to say that I would trust it more than the engineers in the UK who designed the L85. Hint, there;s a reason the AQussies whom always followed the UK in infantry weapons, decided not this time when the L85 was issued.

However I believe that we have two members that I know of whom are from down under and hopefully can chime in and answer.