F1 submachine gun
Produced by Lithgow Small Arms Factory
The F1 is a 9×19mm Australian submachine gun manufactured by the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. First issued to Australian troops in July 1963, it replaced the Owen machine carbine. Like the Owen, the F1 had a distinctive top mounted magazine. It had a robust and simple design, but "never gained popularity with those using it" and in Vietnam it was later largely replaced by the US-made M16A1 rifle. The F1 was retired in the early 1990s and replaced by the F88C Austeyr, an Australian-built version of the Steyr AUG rifle. Some 25,000 were produced by Lithgow from 1962 to 1973. While the F1 is no longer used by Australia, a shipment of F1s was also donated to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary by Australia.