FN Herstal
 | |
| Company type | S.A. |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arms industry |
| Founded | 3 July 1889 |
| Founder | Henri Pieper |
| Headquarters | , Belgium |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | |
| Products | Firearms,ammunition |
Number of employees | 3,000 worldwide |
| Parent | FN Browning Group |
| Website | fnherstal |
Fabrique Nationale Herstal(Frenchfor 'National Factory Herstal'),trading asFN Herstaland often referred to asFabrique Nationale,Factory National,or simplyFN,is a leadingfirearmsmanufacturer based inHerstal,Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe as of 2012[update].[1]
FN Herstal is owned byFN Browning Group,[2]which is in turn owned by the regionalgovernment of Wallonia.[3]The Herstal Group also owns theBrowning Arms Companyand theU.S. Repeating Arms Company(Winchester).[3]
FN America is the U.S. subsidiary of FN Herstal, which was formed by the merger of FN's previous two American subsidiaries – FN Manufacturing and FNH USA.[4]A United Kingdom based manufacturing facility, FNH UK, is also in operation.
Firearms designed and/or manufactured by FN include the S.A.W. M249,Browning Hi-PowerandFive-sevenpistols, theFAL,FNC,F2000andSCARrifles, theP90submachine gun, theM2 Browning,MAG,Minimiand theFN Evolysmachine guns;[3]all have been commercially successful.[5]FN Herstal's firearms are used by thearmed forcesof over 100 countries.[6]
History
[edit]
FN Herstal originated in the small city ofHerstal,nearLiège.TheFabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre(French for 'National Factory of Weapons of War') was established in 1889 to manufacture 150,000Mauser Model 89rifles ordered by theBelgiangovernment.[3]FN was co-founded by the major arms makers of the Liège region, with Henri Pieper ofAnciens Etablissements Pieperbeing the driving force and the primary shareholder of the new company. In 1897, the company entered into a long-lasting relationship withJohn Browning,a well-known American firearms designer.[3]
The company was an important manufacturer of motor vehicles in Belgium, a development championed byAlexandre Galopinas managing director.FN carswere produced in Herstal from the early 1900s until 1935. Production ofFN motorcyclescontinued until 1965, and production of trucks until 1970.[7]In 1973, FN changed its name to reflect a diversified product line far beyond just militarySmall ArmsandFirearmsmanufacturing, adopting the current name ofFabrique Nationale d'Herstal.[8]
FN Herstal also had an aerospace engines division as the becoming the only engine manufacturer inBenelux.Established 1949 inLiers,it manufactured parts, and making and assembling complete engines under licence from British, French and US companies. When four European countries, including Belgium, adopted the F-16 fighter in 1977, FN Herstal built an entirely new plant in that made parts, assembled and tested the engines for these aircraft. TheFN Division Moteursalso supplied parts for the Ariane space programme. However, by 1987, FN Herstal had divested itself of these activities, which today live on as part of the Safran Group.
One of Fabrique Nationale's handguns, aModel 1910semi-automatic pistolin 9×17mm (.380 ACP) (serial number 19074), was one of four weapons that were taken from the assassins ofArchduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,although it is unknown which of the four weapons fired the fatal round.
Browning began the development of the GP35 "High Power" pistol, the GP standing forGrande Puissance(French forhigh power), which is well-known as theBrowning Hi-Power.The weapon was finalized by FN'sDieudonné Saiveand did not appear until 1935, nearly a decade after Browning's death; it remained in production until 2017.
The FN Manufacturing LLC plant inColumbia, South Carolina,is part of the military division of FN. It is primarily responsible for the production of U.S. military weapons, such asM16 rifles,SCARs,M249 light machine guns,M240 machine guns,andM2 machine guns.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Les armes belges, un business juteux"(in French).La Dernière Heure(DHnet). December 31, 2012.RetrievedNovember 1,2013.
- ^"Défense: Groupe Herstal devient FN Browning Group".Le Soir(in French). 2024-06-14.Retrieved2024-06-15.
- ^abcdef"Herstal Group: About Us".FN Herstal.Retrieved2010-06-24.
- ^"FN Manufacturing and FNH USA to consolidate U.S. Operations".FN Herstal.June 6, 2014. Archived fromthe originalon August 31, 2017.RetrievedMay 15,2017.
- ^Miller, David (2001).The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns.Salamander Books Ltd.ISBN1-84065-245-4.
- ^"Report: Profiling the Small Arms Industry - World Policy Institute - Research Project".World Policy Institute. November 2000. Archived fromthe originalon 2017-10-11.Retrieved2010-07-15.
- ^Francotte, Auguste; Gaier, Claude; Karlshausen, Robert (2008).Ars Mechanica.Herstal Group.ISBN978-2-87415-877-3.
- ^Stevens, R. BlakeThe Browning High Power Automatic Pistol.Collector Grade Publications (1990).ISBN978-0-88935-089-2.
External links
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