Arsenal (company, Bulgaria)

The history of the company can be traced back to 1878, when the production of weapons began in the city of Ruse at the Rusensky Artillery Arsenal enterprise. In 1891, for strategic reasons, the enterprise was transferred to Sofia and received a new name - “ Sofia Artillery Arsenal ”.

In 1924, the company and all its equipment were moved to the city of Kazanlak, located in central Bulgaria. The company was namedDarzhavna military factory .

Initially, only details of artillery pieces and ammunition were produced, but in 1920, the plant later began producing gas masks, and in 1930, nitroglycerin .

At the end of 1935, a press purchased in Germany was installed at the enterprise, after which the plant began production of steel helmets of the 1936 model ^[4] , and in 1940 the plant began to produce machine tools.

December 30, 1948 the plant received a new name - "Plant number 10".

In 1956-1958, the production of the Soviet B-10 recoilless gun was mastered; the first machine, a copy of the Soviet AK , was produced in 1958.

On August 10, 1964, the factory received a new name - Friedrich Engels Machine-Building Plant ( Friedrich Engels Machine-Building Plant).

In the 1960s, a total of seven plants were under the jurisdiction of the company. Along with the release of military products, the enterprise produced various civilian products, including automobiles (in particular, Bulgarrenault-8).

In 1971-1972, the production of pistol cartridges 9 × 18 mm PM was mastered ^[5] .

In 1971-1973, the production of the PC machine gun was mastered ^[5] .

On October 18, 1974, in connection with the 5th anniversary, the museum of the history of the enterprise was opened ^[5] .

In 1976-1978, the production of the PKT tank machine gun was mastered ^[5] .

In 1983, the production of a 23-mm anti-aircraft installation was mastered, from 1984-1986. - 5.45 mm Kalashnikov assault rifles. In 1985-1987, the production of 5.45x39 mm cartridges was mastered, in 1986-1987. - production of 122 mm howitzers ^[5] .

In 1987, with the assistance of Soviet specialists from the Kiev Institute of Superhard Materials, the plant created and commissioned an artificial diamond plant ^[5] .

At the end of 1989, the company began cooperation with companies from Japan and Sweden ^[5] .

On June 12, 1989, the machine-building plant was re-registered as the state company Arsenal, and on December 20, 1991 it was transformed into the closed joint-stock company Arsenal ^[5] . In 1990, the production of a modernized version of the Makarov pistol began .

In 1996, Arsenal began cooperation with the German company Walter AG - Tübingen ^[5] .

In 1998, the plant mastered the production of the Dragunov sniper rifle ^[6] . In 1999, the development of the production of new types of weapons began, including meeting NATO standards. Among them are light and smoke hand grenades, 40x46 mm rounds for NATO barreled grenade launchers, Shipka submachine gun, 5.56 mm machine guns, revolving grenade launchers, 60 mm and 81 mm mortars and mortar shells for them, as well as 82 mm mortar mortar shells and new 23 mm shells and 30 mm shells ^[5] .

In March 2016, the Bulgarian government included the plant in the list of 11 strategic enterprises of the country's military-industrial complex ^[7] .

Currently, Arsenal is a privately owned company that conducts international arms trade. The export of civilian products is also expanding: high-precision metalworking machines, mobile robotic arms and artificial diamonds .

The company produces a wide range of small arms:

Pistols

• Arsenal P-M02 (9x19 mm)

Submachine Gun

• Arsenal Shipka (9x18 mm Makarov / 9 × 19 mm Parabellum)

Automata

• AR-M1 / AR-M1F - model based on the AK-74 chambered for 5.56 × 45 mm, but heavier, with a lower rate of fire, has a higher initial bullet speed and luminous inserts in the sight.
• AR-M2 / AR-M2F, AR-SF - model based on the AKS-74U chambered for 5.56 × 45 mm with the possibility of installing a laser target designator
• AR-M4SF - shortened AKS-74 with a Red-Dot sight and the ability to install a night sight and a laser target designator
• AR-M7 - heavier versions of the AKM with a folding butt, plastic fittings, luminous inserts in the sight and increased to bullet muzzle velocity up to 915 m / s. 5.56x45 NATO cartridge or 7.62 × 39 mm (AR-M7F).
• AR-M9 - a copy of the AKM with accessories made of black plastic.
• AR, AR-F, AR-1, AR-1F - modification AK-47, with accessories made of black plastic, luminous inserts in the sight and aiming bar.

Machine guns

• LMG / LMG-F - a copy of the PKK chambered for 7.62 × 39 mm, 5, 45 × 39 mm and 5.56 × 45 mm NATO.
• MG-1 and MG-1M - modifications of a PC machine gun with plastic fittings;
• MG-U is a copy of the NSV . ^[eight]

Grenade Launchers

• " Avalanche " - 40-mm semi-automatic revolver type grenade launcher;
• The MSGL Arsenal is a multi-shot grenade launcher, structurally similar to the Milkor MGL
• UBGL - grenade launcher with the ability to install on Kalashnikov assault rifles, American automatic rifles M-16 and carbines M4
• AGL-30M - a heavier, but more durable copy of AGS-17
• ATGL-L is a lightweight version of the RPG-7 with a Red Dot sight, for which new types of shots have been developed;
• ATGL-H is a copy of the SPG-9 , with increased mass but a higher initial projectile speed

Artillery and anti-aircraft guns

• M6-210 - 60 mm mortar
• M8 - 81 mm mortar
• M82 - 82 mm mortar
• ADS - modification ZU-23-2 with an improved scope and computerized fire control system

Other weapons and military products

• various ammunition (including artillery shells, mortar mines, S-5 rockets and ammunition for small arms)
• Hand grenades HE-FRAG
• stun grenades
• nitrocellulose for the production of explosives and smokeless powder

Civil Weapons

• BARR series hunting rifles - magazine rifles based on the Kalashnikov assault rifle scheme;
• SAR semi-automatic hunting rifles
• hunting gunpowder "Falcon", "Mars", "Magic"

• CNC equipment (Computer Numerical Control)
• Universal Drilling and Milling Machines
• Universal Milling Machines
• Universal Drilling Machines
• Robotic arms
• Artificial diamonds
• Horizontal milling machines
• Horizontal drilling machines
• Vertical milling machines
• Column Drilling Machines
• Milling heads
• Cemented Carbide Inserts
• Carbide special tools
• Nitrocellulose for varnish production

• Art. Lieutenant D. Koshkin. The military industry of Bulgaria // "Foreign Military Review", No. 5 (686), 2004. p. 12-16

• Company official website