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, trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a leading manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe .
FN Herstal is owned by FN Browning Group (formerly known as Herstal Group), which is in turn owned by the regional government of Wallonia. The Herstal Group also owns the Browning Arms Company and the U.S. Repeating Arms Company (Winchester).
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. A United Kingdom-based manufacturing facility, FN UK, is also in operation.
Firearms designed and/or manufactured by FN include the S.A.W. M249, Browning Hi-Power and FN Five-seven pistols, the FN FAL, FN FNC, F2000 and FN SCAR rifles, the P90 submachine gun, the M2 Browning, FN MAG, FN Minimi and the FN EVOLYS machine guns; all have been commercially successful.Miller, David (2001). The Illustrated Directory of 20th Century Guns. Salamander Books Ltd. . FN Herstal's firearms are used by the Military of over 100 countries.
The company was an important manufacturer of motor vehicles in Belgium, a development championed by Alexandre Galopin as managing director. FN cars were produced in Herstal from the early 1900s until 1935. Production of FN motorcycles continued until 1965, and production of trucks until 1970. (2025). 9782874158773, Herstal Group. ISBN 9782874158773 In 1973, FN changed its name to reflect a diversified product line far beyond just military Small Arms and Firearms manufacturing, adopting the current name of Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal.Stevens, R. Blake The Browning High Power Automatic Pistol. Collector Grade Publications (1990). .
One of Fabrique Nationale's handguns, a Model 1910 semi-automatic pistol in 9×17mm (.380 ACP) (serial number 19074), 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 fired the fatal round.
Browning began the development of the GP35 "High Power" pistol, the GP standing for Grande Puissance (French for high power), which is well known as the Browning Hi-Power. The weapon was finalized by FN's Dieudonné Saive and did not appear until 1935, nearly a decade after Browning's death; it remained in production until 2017.
FN Herstal also had an aerospace engines division and became the only aircraft engine manufacturer in Benelux. Established 1949 in Liers, it manufactured parts, and made and assembled 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 that made parts, assembled and tested the engines for these aircraft. The FN Division Moteurs also supplied parts for the Ariane space programme. However, by 1987, FN Herstal had divested itself of these activities, which today are part of the Safran Group.
In 2023 the company posted a profit of 75 million euros on its second-highest ever revenue, of 908 million euros.
On 17 February 2024 FN Herstal launched a venture capital group named FNX with 20 million euro capital.
FN Browning Group commemorated its 135th anniversary with an exhibition in Liège's La Boverie museum from 25 April to 26 July 2025.
Divisions
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, FN SCAR, M249 light machine guns, M240 machine guns, and M2 machine guns.
See also
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