Charles R. Goulding and Aaron Rofe explore how FN Herstal is reshaping the firearms industry through additive manufacturing, innovative materials, and strategic partnerships that blend tradition with cutting-edge technology.
FN Herstal, a cornerstone of the European firearms industry with a history stretching back to 1889, stands as a prominent Belgian-based manufacturer known globally for its dedication to innovation and product enhancement. The company is part of the FN Browning Group, a name adopted on June 14, 2024, to emphasize its leading brands. Owned by the local Wallon Regional Government of Belgium since 1997, the group demonstrated robust financial health in 2023.
The FN Browning Group reported sales of 908 million euros, marking their second highest figure in history. The Defense & Security Division, encompassing the FN Brand, contributed over 500 million euros to this total. Overall, the group achieved a historic net profit exceeding 75 million euros and an EBIT of 90 million euros in 2023, with the FN Herstal subsidiary specifically returning to positive results and exceeding 300 million euros in sales.
FN Herstal has a long-standing legacy of pioneering advancements in small arms, including collaborations with historical figures like John Moses Browning. FN Herstal is renowned for handmade guns and is accelerating its use of advanced technology. Building on this tradition, the company is now strategically integrating modern manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, into its production processes.
While AM has been utilized by DIY enthusiasts for firearm components, FN Herstal is recognized as one of the first major firearms manufacturers poised to employ this technology for aspects of potentially mass-produced weapons.
A prime example of FN Herstal’s embrace of advanced manufacturing is the FN EVOLYS Ultralight machine gun. Unveiled in May 2021, the EVOLYS is a gas-operated, open bolt, short stroke piston design. Its defining characteristics is its extreme lightweight, a feature significantly aided by the incorporation of Polymers and Additive Manufacturing.
During the press conference introducing the EVOLYS, an interview was notably conducted in front of a 3D printing machine, highlighting the technology’s importance in its development. The result is a weapon weighing between 5.5 and 6.2 kilograms depending on whether it is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO or 7.62x51mm NATO.
This is significantly lighter than comparable machine guns like the M249 SAW, which weighs 7.5 kilograms unloaded. This weight reduction enhances mobility, allowing users to navigate difficult terrain quickly and deliver a high volume of fire with less effort. FN asserts that the EVOLYS offers the firing capabilities of a belt-fed machine gun combined with ergonomics and balance like an assault rifle, making it easier to fire from various positions and transition between them.
The design includes features like carbon fiber bipod, a semi-automatic fire selector position like AR/M4/M16 controls, and a stock resembling the FN SCAR’s, which is adjustable and folds. The weapon also incorporates a hydraulic buffer to help manage recoil and is designed to operate effectively with a sound suppressor, directing gases away from the shooter.
Beyond additive manufacturing, FN Herstal has also explored other advanced materials for weight reduction in critical components. For instance, in 2013, the company utilized advanced composite material for manufacturing the yoke of the FN Medium Door Pintle Turning (FN MDP Turning) system. This yoke is a complex mechanical part subjected to significant forces and crash loads.
By using composites, FN Herstal achieved a 30% weight reduction for the yoke compared to its previous aluminum version, while retaining necessary structural properties. This demonstrates a broader strategy of integrating advanced materials to enhance the performance of their weapon systems, particularly in weight-sensitive applications like airborne systems.
While FN Herstal focuses on the legitimate, industrial application of additive manufacturing for professional-grade firearms, there is also a broader landscape of 3D printed guns in Europe. This includes the rise of DIY hybrid firearm designs such as the FGC-9, which combines 3D printed components with readily available materials.
European law enforcement agencies have observed a concerning surge in the number of seized 3D printed firearms and associated files linked to criminal activity. The legality surrounding these homemade firearms and their blueprints presents a complex puzzle across European Union countries, with regulations and penalties varying.
Experts like aviation security professional Zoltan Furedi note the open-source, decentralized, and dispersed nature of the 3D printer gun movement, highlighting the challenges it poses for detection by authorities due to the lack of standard or regulated components that are easily traceable. This context distinguishes the industrial, quality-controlled implementation of additive manufacturing by established companies like FN Herstal from the largely unregulated production of firearms using 3D printing by individuals.
In a related move demonstrating their forward-looking approach and expertise in machine gun manufacturing, FN America LLC, a US subsidiary of FN Herstal, announced a strategic partnership with True Velocity in June 2024. This partnership focuses on the global manufacturing of True Velocity’s .338 Norma Lightweight Medium Machine Gun.
FN America is positioned as a primary manufacturer for this weapon system, which is designed to offer performance characteristics similar to the .50-caliber M2 machine gun in terms of range and terminal effect, but in a lighter profile comparable to the M240 machine gun. This collaboration aims to equip US and Allied military units with a solution to bridge the performance gap between existing machine guns, leveraging True Velocity’s innovative recoil mitigation technology and lightweight composite-cased ammunition alongside FN America’s manufacturing capabilities.
The Research & Development Tax Credit
The now permanent Research & Development Tax Credit (R&D) Tax Credit is available for companies developing new or improved products, processes and/ or software.
3D printing can help boost a company’s R&D Tax Credits. Wages for technical employees creating, testing and revising 3D printed prototypes can be included as a percentage of eligible time spent for the R&D Tax Credit. Similarly, when used as a method of improving a process, time spent integrating 3D printing hardware and software counts as an eligible activity. Lastly, when used for modeling and preproduction, the costs of filaments consumed during the development process may also be recovered.
Whether it is used for creating and testing prototypes or for final production, 3D printing is a great indicator that R&D Credit-eligible activities are taking place. Companies implementing this technology at any point should consider taking advantage of R&D Tax Credits.
Conclusion
The integration of additive manufacturing in the FN EVOLYS and the exploration of composite materials, alongside strategic partnerships like the one with True Velocity, underscore FN Herstal’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the development of advanced weapon systems designed to meet the evolving needs of defense and security forces worldwide.
