improve reliability. 7. Bolt-together butt for easier disassembly. 8. Provision for electronic architecture to allow centralised control and power management of ancillary devices. 9. Primarily uses the side-loading grenade launcher (Steyr-Mannlicher SL40) which can fire all currently available 40 mm low velocity grenades. 10. Improved grenade launcher mount which improves the balance of the weapon. 11. Improved grenade launcher safety, the new KORD RIC (Rifle Input Control) electronic control system made by Thales will also be integrated into the rifle. In June 2012, Thales debuted the F90 at the Eurosatory military exhibition in Paris. Key additions include a bottom rail and a detachable side rail, optional compatibility with STANAG magazines (F90MBR), weight savings over the F88SA2 with a base weight of and the large trigger guard has been reshaped to serve as a vertical foregrip. Thales in partnership with Steyr-Mannlicher are pursuing small arms procurement programs such as the planned replacement of FAMAS used by the French military. Low Rate Initial Production of the F90 began in September 2014. Thales tested the Madritsch ML40AUS grenade launcher a derivative of the ML40 designed specifically for the F90. The ML40AUS is one of the lightest underbarrel grenade launchers at less than due to steel, aluminium, and synthetic parts. The ML40AUS was mounted on the rifle's bottom accessory rail with the trigger moving through a removable plug in the trigger guard that allows for operation of the launcher inside of it, moving it further back than other launchers to maintain centre of balance and improve handling. The ML40AUS differed from the M203 by having a side-opening breech to allow for longer grenade rounds, a cross-bolt safety, and a new quadrant sight that mounts to the top rail alongside the rifle's optics. On 21 January 2014 however, Thales announced they had instead selected the Steyr SL40 grenade launcher due to "significant" engineering concerns with the ML40AUS. The SL40 is a derivative of the Steyr GL40 launcher designed specifically for the EF88. It weighs and has a long barrel. Though marginally heavier than the ML40AUS, it has the same attachment, firing mechanism, and control layout. Within the Australian Defence Force, there has been some discussion about the suitability of the EF88 when compared against variants of the M4 such as the MCX. Dasan Manufacturing (now part of SNT Motiv) was granted the rights to manufacture them in 2017 in an effort to bid them to