A SERIES of investigations have been conducted into the theft of Australian military weapons and explosives since the 1980s.

In 1998, the Herald reported that hundreds of high-powered assault rifles, anti-tank mines and rocket launchers were missing from army bases in NSW and other states in what appeared to be an organised theft operation.

The official investigation involving the Australian Federal Police and the army's Special Investigation Branch was code-named Taskforce Majorca. The army and the federal government refused to comment on the inquiry at that time. But it was believed the stolen weapons included Steyr rifles, rocket launchers and grenades.