RUAG Ammotec has announced the start of the partnership with the Croatian arms manufacturer HS Produkt. This is part of the planned expansion of the RUAG Ammotec portfolio, with a partnership agreement between the companies made earlier this year.

HS Produkt employs around 1,500 people, which is much larger than I expected. They are probably most famous for their VHS-2, a fully ambidextrous 5.56 NATO caliber assault rifle. However, their line of pistols is quite impressive as well, like the HS-9 5.0 G2 below. HS Produkt has also announced that further products like optics and suppressors will follow.

Here is the announcement from the companies:   

New partnership between RUAG Ammotec and HS Produkt

As part of the expansion of its portfolio, RUAG Ammotec has teamed up with innovative partner HS Produkt, a Croatian weapons manufacturer. The partnership agreement was signed earlier this year, making RUAG Ammotec the official global partner of HS Produkt.

After months of discussions and preparatory work, the partnership between RUAG Ammotec Defence & Law Enforcement (DLE) and HS Produkt was finalised in July 2020, with both parties benefiting equally from the agreement. HS Produkt can rely on RUAG Ammotec DLE’s global partner network in the Governmental market; in turn, RUAG can use the extensive product range (pistols, assault rifles, 40mm grenade launchers) of HS. This partnership is an important first step in the new strategic alignment of RUAG Ammotec.

The history of RUAG Ammotec dates back to 1586, when it was a producer of gunpowder, before starting production of cartridge ammunition in 1863. In 2002, RUAG expanded its portfolio by taking over the small-calibre ammunition production department of German company Dynamit Nobel AG. This acquisition made RUAG the European market leader for small-calibre ammunition, with a wide variety of armed forces, government agencies and security organisations as customers. New avenues will be explored in the future as well, and the portfolio will be continuously expanded with weapons, optical devices and silencers in order to provide our customers with systems and solutions customized for their applications.

HS Produkt was founded in 1991 in Croatia. The company has grown to 1,500 employees – up from 30 at the beginning of 2000. In 2001, HS Produkt introduced the HS 2000 series, a new model of firearms which shook the market for polymer pistols and redefined modern firearm design. As the leading supplier on the Croatian market, HS Produkt supplies the country’s Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Justice, Customs Administration, security service agencies as well as civilian gun owners. HS is able to deliver over 30,000 guns per month, with the majority of orders to Springfield Armory being exported to the US. The company’s steady growth is based on the development of new products and investments in new technologies. From 2007 to 2009, HS Produkt started serial production of its newly developed assault rifle and delivered the first batch to the Croatian Ministry of Defence.

HS Produkt also make grenade launchers like the VHS-BG in caliber 40×46.

For further information on HS Produkt or RUAG Ammotec, products, please check their websites.

Which product from the HS Produkt line-up would you like to see on your market?