Fabrique Nationale de Herstal
Contents |
History
FN originated in the small city of Herstal, near Liège. The Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (French for National Factory of Weapons of War) was established in 1889 to manufacture 150,000 Mauser Model 89 rifles ordered by the Belgian Government.
In 1898 the company entered into a long lasting relationship with the famous American firearms designer, John Moses Browning.
FN became an important manufacturer of motor vehicles in Belgium, cars were produced in Herstal in the early 20th century, production of FN motorcycles continued until 1965, trucks until 1970.
One of Fabrique Nationale's weapons, a Model 1910 semi-automatic pistol in 7.65 x 17 mm (.32 ACP) (serial number 19074) was used to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the event that triggered World War I.
The British .303 Browning aircraft machine gun introduced in the late 1930s and used in World War II was actually a license-built FN Browning design, not a "Colt-Browning" as often referred-to.
John Moses Browning began development of the Browning GP35 'High Power' (sometimes written as Hi-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.
FN Manufacturing LLC in Columbia, South Carolina is part of the military division of FN. It is primarily responsible for the development of U.S. government contracted military and law-enforcement weapons, including M16 rifles, M249 SAW light machine guns, M240 medium machine guns, FNP series pistols and M2 machine guns.
Weapons made by FN
Sidearms
- FN M1900:.32 ACP(7.65 x 17 mm) blowback semi-automatic pistol
- FN M1903: blowback semi-automatic pistol chambered for .32 ACP(7.65 x 17 mm) and 9 x 20 mm Long Browning
- FN M1905: .25 ACP vest pocket blowback semi-automatic pistol
- FN M1910:single action pistol chambered for .32 ACP(7.65 x 17 mm) and .380 ACP(9 x 17 mm)
- FN Browning Hi-Power:single action pistol chambered for 9 x 19 mm Luger and .40 S&W
- FN HP-DA:9 x 19 mm Luger pistol, double action variant of the Browning Hi-Power
- FN Forty-Nine:pistol chambered for 9 x 19mm Luger and .40 S&W
- FN Five-seveN:lightweight high-capacity 5.7x28mm pistol
- FN FNP-357:.357 SIG pistol
- FN FNP-40:.40 S&W pistol
- FN FNP-45:.45 ACP pistol
- FN FNP-9:9 x 19 mm Luger pistol
- FN FNP-9m:compact 9 x 19mm Luger pistol
- FN Barracuda:double action multi-caliber revolver that can be switched between three calibers (9 x 19 mm Luger, .38 Special and .357 Magnum) by changing parts of the cylinder
Submachine guns
- P90: Submachine gun developed to NATO's PDW specification that uses proprietary 5.7x28mm rounds.
- PS90: Civilian semi-automatic carbine version of the P90.
Rifles
Semi-automatic and select-fire rifles
- FN Model 1949: Semi-automatic rifle chambered in .30-06 Springfield, 7.92x57mm Mauser, 7.62x51mm NATO, 7.65x57mm Mauser and 7x57mm Mauser.
- FAL: Fusil Automatique Léger, 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifle.
- CAL: Carabine Automatique Légère, 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifle.
- FNC:Fabrique Nationale Carabine, 5.56x45mm NATO caliber assault rifle.
- F2000: 5.56x45mm NATO bullpup assault rifle, part of a system with a computerized sight and 40 mm grenade launcher or 12 gauge shotgun.
- FS2000: Civilian semi-automatic version of the F2000.
- SCAR: SOF Combat Assault Rifle, modular assault/battle rifle system with dedicated versions in 5.56x45mm NATO and 7.62x51mm NATO.
Bolt-action rifles
- FN 24/30: 7.92x57mm Mauser bolt-action rifle developed on the Mauser M98 principles.
- FN 30-11: 7.62x51mm NATO bolt-action sniper rifle developed from FN-built Mauser Kar 98K rifles.
- PBR: 7.62x51mm NATO bolt-action rifle intended for police patrol cruisers.
- SPR: Bolt-action sniper rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO and .300 Winchester Magnum, used by FBI and SWAT teams.
Machine guns
- Model 1930 BAR: License-built version of the M1918 BAR, rechambered for the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge.
- MAG: Mitrailleuse d'Appui General , 7.62x51mm NATO general purpose machine gun.
- BRG-15: Experimental heavy machine gun chambered in 15.5x115mm.
- Minimi: Mini Mitrailleuse, 5.56x45mm NATO light machine gun in use with many nations worldwide and known in the U.S. as the M249 SAW.
- Minimi 7.62: Minimi chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
Other weapons
- FN 303: Less-lethal 17 mm multi-shot projectile launcher.
- FN Self-Loading Police Shotgun: 12-gauge self-loading shotgun with 7 or 9-round capacity.
- FN Tactical Police Shotgun: 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with 5 or 8-round capacity.
- EGLM: 40 mm grenade launcher that can be used on the F2000 or SCAR rifles.
References
- ↑ FNHerstal.com "The Herstal Group includes Herstal, parent company and two main subsidiaries , FN HERSTAL, active in the Defense and Law Enforcement fields, and Browning / U.S. Repeating Arms Co., specializing in hunting /shooting marksmanship and outdoor sporting goods."
