, trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a firearms 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 Manufacturing, located in Columbia, South Carolina, was the manufacturing branch of FN Herstal in the United States, producing firearms such as the M249 and M240 machine guns and the M16 rifle, among others. FN Herstal's firearms are used by the armed forces of over 100 countries.
History
thumb|1931 FN cabriolet
thumb|[[Browning Hi-Power|FN Browning Hi-Power pistol]]
FN Herstal originated in the small city of Herstal, near Liège. The Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (French for 'National Factory of Weapons of War') was established in 1889 to manufacture 150,000 Mauser Model 89 rifles ordered by the Belgian government. 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.
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.