The Z111 Factory (), formally registered as the 11 Precise Mechanical One Member Liability Company (), is a state-owned firearms and precision mechanics factory located in Thanh Hoá,

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. The Z111 Factory was built in 1957, and was originally called "Z1 Factory". 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.

History

Built in 1957 under the name "Z1 Factory", the factory became a cradle of the small arms industry in Vietnam. Z1 factory specialized in producing small arms for the

Vietnam People's Army Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

during the Vietnam War, and created locally modified firearms for its army, such as the

K-50M The PPSh-41 () is a selective-fire, open-bolt, blowback submachine gun that fires the 7.62×25mm Tokarev round. It was designed by Georgy Shpagin of the Soviet Union to be a cheaper and simplified alternative to the PPD-40. The PPSh-41 saw ...

submachine gun based on the

PPSh-41 The PPSh-41 () is a selective-fire, open-bolt, blowback submachine gun that fires the 7.62×25mm Tokarev round. It was designed by Georgy Shpagin of the Soviet Union to be a cheaper and simplified alternative to the PPD-40. The PPSh-41 saw ...

and

MAT-49 The MAT-49 is a submachine gun which was developed by the French arms factory Manufacture Nationale d'Armes de Tulle (MAT) for use by the French Army. It was first produced in 1949 and remained in French service until it was phased out following ...

. One of the weapons to come from the Z111 Factory is the M18, reconditioned since 2010 from XM177E2s seized during the Vietnam War. They are known to be used by Vietnamese special forces personnel and officers from the Vietnam Coast Guard due to its compact size. On February 3, 2014, IWI entered into an agreement with Vietnam to produce the IWI ACE under license. Production was made in a joint production facility. An improved version of the K-54 pistol 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. Research and development started in 2001. The K14-VN began to see service with PAVN forces on May 10, 2014. In 2015, the Z111 Factory announced that they would produce the new STL-1A rifle. 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 A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

handguards, a folding buttstock, a new ergonomic pistol grip, and an updated muzzle brake similar to those found on the

AK-74 The AK-74 ( Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974') is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974 as a successor to the AKM. While primarily ...

. A notable change was that it also allowed the use of

M203 grenade launcher The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil force ...

s 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 The AK-103 is an assault rifle designed by Russian small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. History The AK-103 was officially offered for export on March 13, 1993. Design details It is an AK-100 derivative of the AK-74M that is chambered ...

. In January 2018, the

OSV-96 The OSV-96 (Russian: ОСВ-96) is a Russian semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle chambered for 12.7×108mm. Design The rifle is capable of engaging infantry at a distance of up to 1800 meters and can combat materiel targets at ranges up to 2500 ...

was reported to be made under license in Vietnam. In 2019, the factory revealed the new STV rifles, the STV-215 and the STV-380. Both of them were designated to be the new standard-issue rifles for the

. IWI Jericho 941 pistols were also reported being manufactured. In 2020, the factory revealed two more variants of the STV rifles, called the STV-410 and the STV-416.

Products

Notes

References

{{coord missing, Vietnam Military installations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Buildings and structures in Thanh Hóa province Defence companies of Vietnam Manufacturing plants Vietnamese companies established in 1957 Government-owned companies of Vietnam

History

Products

See also

Notes

References