Industry Firearms, Defence Website www.lithgowarms.com Parent Thales Australia | Area served worldwide Opened 1912 Phone +61 2 6351 4452 | |
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Founded June 8, 1912; 104 years ago (1912-06-08) Headquarters Lithgow, City of Lithgow, Cook, New South Wales, Australia Products Pistols, Rifles, Carbines, Submachine guns, Machine guns Address 69 Methven St, Lithgow NSW 2790, Australia Hours Closed today FridayClosedSaturday10AM–4PMSunday10AM–4PMMondayClosedTuesday9:30AM–2PMWednesday9:30AM–2PMThursday9:30AM–2PMSuggest an edit Similar Eskbank House, Blue Mountains, Glowworm Tunnel, Lithgow State Mine Heritage, Hassans Walls Lookout | ||
Lithgow small arms factory documentary
The Lithgow Small Arms Factory is a military small arms factory located in the town of Lithgow, New South Wales in Australia.
Contents
Visiting the lithgow small arms factory museum
History
Opened on 8 June 1912, the factory initially manufactured Short, Magazine, Lee–Enfield Mk III rifles (and bayonets thereof) for the Australian military during World War I. During World War II production expanded to include Vickers machine guns, Bren Guns, and, postwar, branched out into sporting goods (including civilian firearms and golf clubs), tools, sewing machines, (from the mid-1950s) the F1 submachine gun, L1A1 Self Loading Rifle, KAL1 General Purpose Infantry Rifle rifle prototype and similar products. The Small Arms Factory at Lithgow was known to produce their single shot models 1A and 1B as well as their model 12 repeater under the Slazenger brand during the 1960s. The factory was first 'corporatised' as Australian Defence Industries by the Hawke Government, then later sold in 2006. ADI Lithgow is now owned by Thales Australia and continues to manufacture the F88 Austeyr rifle and F89 Minimi currently used by the Australian military. As a separate entity, not owned or run by the current owners of the Factory, the volunteer-run Lithgow Small Arms Factory Museum is located at the front of the disused section of site and has a large collection of military and civilian firearms manufactured at the factory and elsewhere.