Z111 Factory

The Z111 Factory is located in Thanh Hoá, Vietnam.[1] It produces small arms for the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).

The Z111 Factory was built by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) and is directed and owned by the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence.[1][2]

History

The first Western weapon to be reproduced in the Z111 Factory is the M18, a Vietnamese copy of the CAR-15 since 2010.[1][3] They are known to be used by Vietnamese special forces personnel and officers from the Vietnam Coast Guard.[4]

On February 3, 2014, IWI entered into an agreement with Vietnam to produce the IWI ACE under license.[5] Production was made in a joint production facility.[6]

An improved version of the K-54 pistol[lower-alpha 1] 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.[7][8] Research and development started in 2001.[9] The K14-VN began to see service with PAVN forces on May 10, 2014.[10]

In 2015, the Z111 Factory announced that they would produce the new STL-1A rifle.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

A future upgrade, known as the STL-1B, will include a picatinny rail interface system. This will allow operators to attach optical or electronic sights.[12]

In January 2018, the OSV-96 is reported to be made under license in Vietnam.[14]

Products
Model Image Type Calibre Notes
Pistols
K14-VN Semi-automatic pistol 7.62×25mm Tokarev Vietnamese variant of the K-54, this version is improved with a longer barrel, a rubber grip, and a double-stack magazine that holds an increased capacity of 13 rounds.[7]
Assault Rifles
M18 Carbine 5.56×45mm NATO An improved Vietnamese copy of the CAR-15, it is used by Special forces and Marines.[15]
IWI ACE 31/32 Assault rifle 7.62×39mm Manufactured under IWI license, all rifles produced here have their charging handle relocated from the left side onto the right side.[16]
STL-1A Assault rifle 7.62×39mm Along with producing them, it also consists of converting old AKM rifles into STL-1A specifications.[12]
STL-1B Assault rifle 7.62×39mm Currently planned to be produced as an upgrade from the STL-1A rifles.[12]
Submachine Guns
STL-15 Submachine gun 9×19mm Parabellum Locally produced with industrial name SN9P and officially called the STL-15. It is the Vietnamese-produced version of the PP-19 Bizon. It comes with a Galil-style stock and is chambered in 9x19mm.[17][18]
Micro Uzi Submachine gun 9×19mm Parabellum Manufactured and supplied to the PAVN.[19]
Uzi Pro Submachine gun 9×19mm Parabellum Manufactured and supplied to the PAVN.[19]
Machine Guns
IWI Negev Light machine gun 5.56×45mm NATO Manufactured and supplied to the PAVN.[19]
PKM General-purpose machine gun 7.62×54mmR Produced as the standard issue machine gun.[20]
NSV Heavy machine gun 12.7×108mm Standard for tank-mounted machine guns.[13]
Sniper Rifles
IWI Galatz Sniper rifle 7.62×51mm Manufactured and supplied to the PAVN.[19]
OSV-96 Anti-materiel rifle 12.7×108mm Made under license with the industrial name of SBT12M1.[14]
KSVK Anti-materiel rifle 12.7×108mm Vietnamese self-designed. Features modifications to suit the local conditions.[19]
Grenade-Based Weapons
T-40 Grenade launcher 40mm grenade A Vietnamese-designed grenade launcher. Based off the M203 grenade launcher, except it uses a lever instead of a trigger. Commonly mounted onto STL-1A or IWI ACE 32 rifles.[17]

See also

Notes
  1. The K-54 is a clone of the Tokarev TT-33 made in Vietnam.

References
  1. "President Truong Tan Sang works with Factory Z111". Vietnam Breaking News. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  2. "Israel Weapon Industries to begin assault rifle production in Vietnam - IHS Jane's 360". web.archive.org. 2014-10-06. Retrieved 2019-04-03.
  3. "Bất ngờ với dàn vũ khí tham gia diễu binh 30/4 kỳ 1". Web.archive.org. 25 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-04-25.
  4. "Súng trường Galil ACE chính thức tham gia Lễ diễu binh ngày 30/4". Soha.vn. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  5. Grevatt, Jon, Israel Weapon Industries to begin assault rifle production in Vietnam, Jane's, archived from the original on 2014-10-06
  6. "Vietnam emerges as a big Military equipment market". New Delhi Times. 2017-07-10. Archived from the original on 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
  7. "K14-VN - Modern Firearms". Guns.ru. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  8. "Sức mạnh dàn súng Việt Nam tự sản xuất". Baodatviet.vn. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  9. "Sức mạnh dàn súng Việt Nam tự sản xuất". Baodatviet.vn. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. "Điều chưa biết về súng ngắn K14 Việt Nam sản xuất" [About the K14 manuafactured in Vietnam], Kienthuc.net.vn (in Vietnamese), 2015-03-15
  11. "Lộ diện hai mẫu súng cực lạ do Việt Nam sản xuất". Baodatviet.vn.
  12. "Vietnam has upgraded Kalashnikov AKM under the name STL-1A - weapons defence industry military technology UK - analysis focus army defence military industry army". Armyrecognition.com.
  13. VCCorp.vn. "Nhà máy Z111: Cái nôi sản xuất súng cho QĐ Việt Nam". soha.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  14. "Vietnam unveiled new heavy sniper rifle produced under licence from Russia", Defence-blog.com, Jan 16, 2018
  15. "Điều ít biết về khẩu M18 do Việt Nam sản xuất - DVO - Báo Đất Việt". Web.archive.org. 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04.
  16. "[Indo Defense 2018] Vietnamese Small Arms Part Two: Grenade Launcher's, Galil ACE's, and OSV-96's -". The Firearm Blog. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  17. "Trang bị súng phóng lựu thế hệ mới T40 cho Galil ACE?". baodatviet.vn. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  18. "[Indo Defense 2018] Vietnamese Small Arms Part One: Lee Enfield's, M79's, and Bizon's -". The Firearm Blog. 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  19. "Vietnam Begins Manufacture of 12.7mm KSVK, Expands Capabilities". Thefirearmblog.com. 17 August 2017.
  20. VCCorp.vn. "Việt Nam sản xuất thành công súng máy PKMS hiện đại". soha.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2019-04-02.


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