Belgium · founded in 1889
FN Herstal
Historic Belgian arsenal, prime NATO machine-gun supplier and home of the SCAR.
History
Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal was founded in 1889 to produce Mauser rifles under license for the Belgian army. It forged a historic partnership with John Moses Browning, who developed most of his self-loading designs there, from the FN M1900 to the Browning Hi-Power. After WWII it released the FAL, a NATO rifle standardized in over 90 countries.
Today FN is a world leader in machine guns: the MINIMI/M249 and the MAG/M240 equip the infantry of nearly every NATO army. In the 2000s it won the SCAR program for USSOCOM with the first modular short-stroke piston rifle. The group also owns FN America and Browning Arms.
Iconic products
- →FN FAL — the 'right arm of the free world' in the 1960s.
- →MINIMI / M249, MAG / M240 — NATO standard.
- →SCAR-L / SCAR-H — modular USSOCOM rifle.
In the ARSENALIS catalog (27)
FN M19001900Browning M2HB1933Browning Hi-Power1935Browning Hi-Power1935FN Model 19491949FN FAL1953L1A1 SLR1954L7A2 GPMG1957FN MAG1958FN CAL1966FN Minimi1974M2401977C61977FN FNC / Ak 51979M249 SAW1984C91985FN P901990M4A1 Carbine1994M16A41997FN Five-seveN1998FN F20002001FN Special Police Rifle2003FN SCAR-L2009FN SCAR-H2009FN Ballista2012FN Evolys2021FN HiPer2024