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Z111 Factory
Vietnamese state-owned small arms factory From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Z111 Factory (Vietnamese: Nhà máy Z111), formally registered as the 11 Precise Mechanical One Member Liability Company (Vietnamese: Công ty TNHH MTV Cơ khí chính xác 11, lit. '11th Precise Mechanical One Member LLC'),[1] is a state-owned firearms and precision mechanics factory located in Thanh Hoá, Vietnam.[2]
 | This article may be a rough translation from Vietnamese. It may have been generated, in whole or in part, by a computer or by a translator without dual proficiency. (August 2022) |
The Z111 Factory was built in 1957, and was originally called "Z1 Factory".[3] A part of this factory named Factory 1 was built by the Israeli firearms company, Israel Weapon Industries (IWI).
It is wholly owned by the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence, and the factory produces arms for the People's Army of Vietnam.[2][4]
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Z111 factory was founded in 1/3/1957 under the name "Z1 Factory" at Yen Bai with its primary task is to repair various types of guns, artillery, and optical equipment to meet the equipment requirements for training, combat readiness, and combat missions of the Army.[5]These facilities were built with technical and logistical support from socialist countries, marking an important step in laying the industrial foundation for Vietnam’s long-term defense self-sufficiency. The factory became a cradle of the small arms industry in Vietnam.[6] Z1 factory specialized in producing small arms for the Vietnam People's Army during the Vietnam War, and created locally modified firearms for its army, such as the K-50M submachine gun based on the PPSh-41 and MAT-49.The factory began producing a limited number of light weapons such as SKS,[7] AK-47, RPG-2 and TUL-1 light machine guns.[8] In the years after Vietnam War, the factory start to produce more modern firearm with support from Soviet Union such as AKM.
One of the weapons to come from the Z111 Factory is the M18, reconditioned since 2010 from XM177E2s seized during the Vietnam War.[2][9] They are known to be used by Vietnamese special forces personnel and officers from the Vietnam Coast Guard[10] due to its compact size.[11]
On February 3, 2014, IWI entered into an agreement with Vietnam to produce the IWI ACE under license.[12] Production was made in a joint production facility. Additionally, the Z111 factory is also involved in manufacturing several weapon components for the Israeli company IWI[13][14]
An improved version of the K-54 pistol[a] is locally produced under the name of "K14-VN". They are upgraded with an increased capacity of 13 rounds, and a wider grip to incorporate a double stack magazine.[15] Research and development started in 2001.[16] The K14-VN began to see service with PAVN forces on May 10, 2014.[17]
In 2015, the Z111 Factory announced that they would produce the new STL-1A rifle.[18] This would mainly be done through converting and upgrading the old AKMs under the new name, but they would also produce entirely new STL-1A rifles. The updated rifle included new polymer handguards, a folding buttstock, a new ergonomic pistol grip, and an updated muzzle brake similar to those found on the AK-74.[19] A notable change was that it also allowed the use of M203 grenade launchers that are also being produced in Vietnam, replacing the GP-25/GP-34 grenade launchers on the original AKMs. The rifle, however, still uses the dovetail side-mount for attaching sights. Overall, the rifle highly resembles an AK-103.[20] In January 2018, the OSV-96 was reported to be made under license in Vietnam.[21]
In 2019, the factory revealed the new STV rifles based on Galil ACE, the STV-215 and the STV-380. Both of them were designated to be the new standard-issue rifles for the Vietnam People's Army. Component of IWI Jericho 941 pistols were also reported being manufactured, most likely for a production contract between the factory and IWI.[22]In 2020, the factory revealed two more variants of the STV rifles, called the STV-410 and the STV-416.[23][24] These variants are proposed and introduced as technology demonstrators and for commercial purposes.
In recent years, the factory has invested heavily in weapons and equipment to support the production of various types of infantry firearms. Advanced manufacturing techniques such as barrel cold forging and CNC machining have been introduced. In addition, the factory has also replicated firearms currently in use by the military and has heavily modified those designs to better meet the operational requirements of the armed forces.
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