Factory specializing in the production of infantry guns

Factory Z111 belongs to the General Department of Defense Industry, located next to Highway 1A. After passing through many layers of inspection and control, Thanh Nien reporters officially entered the area where components and spare parts for infantry weapons are produced, the assembly area, and the area where guns are displayed.

Major Phung Tat Thanh introduces some types of infantry guns produced by Z111 factory to Thanh Nien reporter.

Major Phung Tat Thanh, Deputy Director of Z111 Factory, and technical staff led us through the workshops responsible for manufacturing infantry weapon components and stopped longer at the assembly area. This is where the finished gun is assembled before being sent to the test firing area and then to the user unit.

Factory Z111, under the General Department of Defense Industry, was established on March 19, 1957, located in Hoang Trung Commune, Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa . From a facility that mainly repaired weapons, up to now, after nearly 65 years, the factory has successfully manufactured many new, high-tech guns, affirming that our country's defense industry is self-sufficient in producing all infantry weapons for a full-strength division.

Close-up of modern Vietnamese domestic weapons: A new step forward for the defense industry

Major Thanh said that the project to invest in the production line of infantry guns of Z111 was implemented since 2011. This is a large-scale project, transferring technology from abroad, modern and synchronous equipment, and advanced production technology. There were many difficulties in the implementation, but the factory has completely mastered the production line of infantry guns that meet international standards.

7.62 mm K54n pistol with red dot sight, currently equipped for special reconnaissance forces

7.62mm SBT-7.62M2 sniper rifle

Modern sniper rifle

In 2007, the Weapons Institute was assigned to carry out a research project to design and test-produce a 12.7mm sniper rifle. This is a large-caliber, long-range, high-precision sniper rifle used to destroy light armored vehicles, targets behind walls or bulletproof glass... In early July 2010, the project completed all research contents and was evaluated and accepted as type B by the superior scientific council.

In 2011, superiors requested to perfect the technology to manufacture the Vietnamese 12.7mm sniper rifle. The Weapons Institute and the Z111 factory coordinated to supplement the technology, successfully manufactured and tested the gun. As a result, the gun was evaluated as having "accuracy that meets requirements, suitable for our troops" and equipped for special forces.

"Z111 is the only unit in the army responsible for manufacturing and repairing rifled infantry weapons up to 12.7 mm to equip the armed forces for training, combat readiness and combat. But the strongest are still the 7.62 guns". In a conversation with us, Colonel - Hero of Labor Phan Duy Thuong (Director of Z111 factory from 2001 to 2007) affirmed this and said: "In 2021, the factory successfully produced a 7.62 mm SVD sniper rifle. This gun uses 7.62x51 ammunition, weighs only 4.2 kg, but has an effective range of up to 800 m and a magazine of up to 10 rounds".

Handheld machine guns and automatic machine guns

In 2023, the research project to design and manufacture a 7.62 mm RPD-type machine gun was completed and the product was immediately put into production at the Z111 factory. The gun weighs 7.4 kg, has a magazine of 100 rounds, an effective range of 600 m and is especially equipped with auxiliary equipment (optical sights...).

Infantry guns products at Z111 factory

With the 7.62 mm PKT gun, although it is a machine gun, it only weighs 10.4 kg, has a theoretical rate of fire of 600 - 800 rounds/minute, and a magazine capacity of 250 rounds. This is a gun used to mount on motor vehicles, boats, unmanned equipment and is controlled by automatic mode, very suitable for high-tech warfare.

Another product also produced from the Z111 is the 7.62 mm DL7N machine gun. The gun body weighs 7.8 kg, the gun mount weighs 5.2 kg, effective range 800 - 1,000 m. The magazine holds 100 - 200 rounds. In particular, the gun is integrated with a day and night sight.

Previously, in 2014, the Z111 factory successfully produced the first 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns mounted on ships M1, M3. These are automatic guns, equipped on boats and floating vehicles. With an effective range of up to 1,500 m, the maximum actual combat rate of fire is 250 rounds/minute. Currently, the 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns have been installed on seagoing ships.

New pistol

Currently, the Z111 factory is producing many pistols for military, police, customs units... in the country. There are 2 notable types, using 9x18 mm bullets, which are SN9 and K19. If the SN9 pistol weighs 0.73 kg, effective range 50 m with 8-round magazine, the 9 mm K19 pistol weighs only 0.7 kg, double magazine capacity (17 rounds) and has a slot for flashlight, optical sight...

Female workers at Z111 factory work on the production line of infantry guns.

The pistols that use 7.62 mm bullets are the SN7M2 (weighs 0.89 kg, effective range 50 m, 8-round magazine); K54n (weighs 0.89 kg, effective range 50 m, 8-round magazine) and K14n-VN which weighs 0.92 kg but has a magazine of up to 13 rounds. Of these 3 types, the K54n and K14n-VN have a slot for mounting a red dot sight. This type of pistol only needs to pull the trigger according to the red dot to hit the target, so it has been equipped for special reconnaissance.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Chi (former Director of the Institute of Weapons) said that the 7.62 mm TT-33 (K54) pistol was designed and manufactured by the Soviet Union and put into service in 1933. The gun was provided to Vietnam in the early 1960s, so it had degraded. In 2001, the Institute researched and tested the 7.62 mm T-33 pistol, meeting the technical and tactical criteria set forth. In early 2002, the Science and Technology Council at the Center for Military Science, Technology and Technology evaluated and accepted and recommended the General Department of Defense Industry to test the technology and produce equipment. This is the main foundation for us to have new models of pistols produced by Z111, as it is now. (continued)

Realizing the importance of the defense industry to the cause of national construction and defense, for many years now, our Party has issued many resolutions on the development of the defense industry. In particular, on July 20, 1993, the Politburo (7th tenure) issued Resolution No. 05-NQ/TW on Building and developing the defense industry until 2000; on June 16, 2003, the Politburo (9th tenure) continued to issue Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW on Building and developing the defense industry until 2010; on July 16, 2011, the Politburo (11th tenure) issued Resolution 06-NQ/TW on Building the defense industry until 2020 and the following years.

In particular, with the innovative thinking and increasing requirements of the cause of protecting the Fatherland, building a strong, compact, and modern army, on January 26, 2022, the Politburo (13th tenure) issued Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW on Promoting the development of the defense industry to 2030 and the following years.

In this document, our Party clearly defines the goal of developing the defense industry in the new period as: having the capacity to research, design, manufacture, and produce weapons and technical equipment with tactical and technical features to meet the requirements of equipping the armed forces and building a modern army; repairing, improving, and modernizing most types of weapons and technical equipment in the establishment. Focusing on investing in the successful production of modern and strategic weapons, equipment, and military equipment in 5 main product groups (weapons and equipment for the army; military ships and underwater weapons; missiles and military aerospace; military equipment; technical supplies)...

By 2030, strive to research, design, manufacture, produce, repair, improve, and modernize new and modern weapons and equipment for the armed forces. From 2030, research, design, and manufacture automatic weapons and smart weapons for the army; master the technology to design, manufacture, and build new modern warships; modernize underwater weapons and weapon complexes on military ships. Research and manufacture cyber warfare systems; some types of weapons, equipment, and satellites for the space force, strategic missile force; modern radars and communication devices, etc.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nha-may-chuyen-san-xuat-sung-bo-binh-185241220194042987.htm