Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal — self identified as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique
Nationale or simply FN — is a leading firearms manufacturer located in Herstal, Belgium,
owned by the regional government of Wallonia. It is currently the largest exporter of military
small arms in Europe. FN is a subsidiary of the Belgian Herstal
Group, which also owns U.S. Repeating Arms Company and Browning Arms Company. FN Herstal
is the parent company of two United States entities: FN Manufacturing and FNH USA. FN
Manufacturing, located in Columbia, South Carolina, is the manufacturing branch of FN
Herstal in the United States, producing firearms such as the M249 and M240 machine guns and
M16 rifle, among others. FNH USA, located in McLean, Virginia, is the sales and marketing
branch of FN Herstal in the United States. Firearms designed and/or manufactured by FN
include the Browning Hi-Power pistol, Five-seven pistol, FAL rifle, FNC rifle, F2000 rifle,
P90 submachine gun, M2 Browning machine gun, MAG machine gun, and Minimi machine gun—all
of which have been very successful for the company. FN Herstal's firearms are used by
the armed forces of over 100 nations.
History
FN originated in the small city of Herstal, near Liège. The Fabrique Nationale d'Armes
de Guerre was established in 1889 to manufacture 150,000 Mauser Model 89 rifles ordered by
the Belgian Government. FN was co-founded by the major arms makers of the Liège region,
with Henri Pieper of Anciens Etablissements Pieper being the driving force and the primary
shareholder of the new company. In 1897 the company entered into a long-lasting relationship
with John Moses Browning, a well-known firearms designer. FN was an important manufacturer
of motor vehicles in Belgium, a development championed by Alexandre Galopin as managing
director. Cars were produced in Herstal in the early 1900s until 1935. Production of
FN motorcycles continued until 1965, and production of trucks until 1970. In 1973, FN changed
its name to reflect a product line diversified far beyond just "weapons of war", adopting
the current name of Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal. One of Fabrique Nationale's handguns, a Model
1910 semi-automatic pistol in 9×17mm was one of four weapons that were taken from the
assassins of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, although it is unknown which of the four weapons
actually fired the fatal round. John Moses Browning began development of the
Browning GP35 'High Power' pistol, the GP standing for Grande Puissance or "high power"
in French. However, the weapon was finalized by Dieudonné Saive and did not appear until
nearly a decade after Browning's death. The FN Manufacturing LLC plant in Columbia,
South Carolina is part of the military division of FN. It is primarily responsible for the
production of U.S. military weapons, such as M16 rifles, M249 light machine guns, M240
machine guns, and M2 machine guns. FN Herstal weapons
Handguns Barracuda: Double-action multi-caliber revolver
that can be switched between three calibers by changing parts of the cylinder.
Five-seven: Lightweight polymer-framed pistol with a 20-round magazine capacity, and designed
to use FN's 5.7×28mm cartridge. In service with military and police forces in over 40
nations throughout the world. FNP series: Series of polymer-framed pistols
offered in 9×19mm Parabellum, .357 SIG, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.
FNX series: Updated and reengineered version of the FNP series pistol in 9×19mm Parabellum,
.40SW and .45ACP. FNS series: Polymer striker-fired pistols
in 9x19mm Parabellum and 40 S&W. Forty-Nine: Pistol chambered for 9×19mm Parabellum
and .40 S&W. Hi-Power: Single-action pistol chambered for
9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W. One of the most widely used military pistols of all time,
having been used by the armed forces of over 50 nations.
HP-DA: 9×19mm Parabellum pistol, double-action variant of the Browning Hi-Power.
M1900: .32 ACP blowback semi-automatic pistol. M1903: Blowback semi-automatic pistol chambered
for .32 ACP and 9×20mm Long Browning. M1905: .25 ACP vest pocket blowback semi-automatic
pistol. M1910: Single-action pistol chambered for
.32 ACP and .380 ACP. Submachine guns
P90: Ambidextrous bullpup personal defense weapon with a top-mounted 50-round magazine
and chambered for FN's 5.7×28mm cartridge. In service with military and police forces
in over 40 nations throughout the world. Uzi: Built under license from Israel Military
Industries. Rifles
Semi-automatic and select-fire rifles Browning 22 Semi-Auto rifle .22 LR, .22 Short.
Takedown rifle. Production began in 1914 and continued through 1974 in Belgium.
CAL: Carabine Automatique Légère, 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle.
F2000: 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle, part of a system with a computerized sight
and 40mm grenade launcher or 12 gauge shotgun. FS2000: Semi-automatic sporting version of
the F2000 rifle.
FAL: Fusil Automatique Léger, 7.62×51mm NATO battle rifle. One of the most widely
used rifles in history, having been used by over 90 nations.
FNAR: Semi-automatic rifle chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO.
FNC: Fabrique Nationale Carabine, 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle.
M16: 5.56×45mm NATO rifle. Mle 1930: Belgian variant of the Browning
M1918, chambered in 7.65×53mm Belgian Mauser. Model 1949: Semi-automatic rifle chambered
in .30-06 Springfield, 7.92×57mm Mauser, 7.62×51mm NATO, and 7×57mm Mauser.
PS90: Semi-automatic sporting carbine version of the P90 submachine gun.
SCAR: SOF Combat Assault Rifle, modular assault/battle rifle system with dedicated versions in 5.56×45mm
NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO. Bolt-action rifles
Ballista: Modular .338 Lapua Magnum long range sniper rifle that is convertible to .308 Winchester
or .300 Winchester Magnum calibers. Karabiner 98k: 7.92×57mm Mauser bolt-action
rifle produced post-World War II. Model 1924 / Model 1930: Carbine and rifle
based on the Mauser 98 carbine. Model 1950: .30-06 Springfield bolt-action
rifle; updated version of the Model 1930. Model 30-11: 7.62×51mm NATO bolt-action sniper
rifle developed from FN-built Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles.
PBR: Patrol Bolt Rifle; 7.62×51mm NATO bolt-action rifle intended for police patrol cruisers.
SPR: Special Police Rifle; bolt-action sniper rifle based on the Winchester Model 70, chambered
in 7.62×51mm NATO and .300 Winchester Magnum, intended for FBI and SWAT teams.
TSR: Tactical Sports Rifle based on the SPR. Machine guns
BRG-15: Experimental heavy machine gun chambered in 15.5×115mm.
M2: .50 BMG heavy machine gun produced under license.
MAG: Mitrailleuse d'Appui General, 7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun. Used by
more than 80 nations, and made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India,
Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Minimi: Mini Mitrailleuse, 5.56×45mm NATO light machine gun. Adopted by over 45 nations
and used in the United States as the M249 SAW.
MK 48: Variant of the M249 light machine gun. Chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO, and developed
to meet a United States special forces requirement. Model 1930 BAR: Licence-built version of the
M1918 BAR, rechambered for the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge.
Shotguns P-12: 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with 18-inch
barrel and 5-round capacity. SLP: 12-gauge gas-operated semi-automatic
shotgun offered in four different models with various barrel lengths, sight options, and
capacities. Introduced in 2008, and named "2009 Shotgun of the Year" by American Rifleman
magazine. TPS: 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with 5 or
8-round capacity. It is an upgraded version of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company Winchester
1300. Browning Auto-5 recoil-operated semi-automatic
shotgun with 5-round capacity, designed by John Browning.
Miscellaneous 5.56×45mm SS109: NATO standard 5.56×45mm
cartridge. 5.7×28mm: Small-caliber, high-velocity cartridge
designed for use with the FN P90 submachine gun and FN Five-seven pistol.
EGLM: 40mm Ergonomic Grenade Launcher Module designed for the FN SCAR.
FN 303: Less-lethal 17 mm multi-shot projectile launcher.
FN 303 P: Pistol version of the less-lethal FN 303 launcher.
FN Telgren telescoping shoot-through rifle-grenade. See also
Arms industry List of modern armament manufacturers
References
External links Official website
Official website Official website
FNH Firearms Blog FN SCAR Forum
FNH USA 2009 Product Video on YouTube