Manufacturer catalog

No. 2 Degtyarev Plant

No. 2 Degtyarev Plant is the historic Kovrov arms factory now associated with the V.A. Degtyarev Plant legal identity and the ZiD brand. It built Soviet small arms and anti-aircraft weapons and is the manufacturer context for the catalog's ZPU-1 entry.

1 weapons

No. 2 Degtyarev Plant is the historic Kovrov weapons factory that later appeared in public sources as V.A. Degtyarev Plant, ZiD, and related legal-name variants. Official and reference sources describe it as one of Russia's largest defense enterprises, with origins in 1916 and a long run of infantry, machine-gun, and anti-aircraft production.

This builder profile exists to give the catalog page clear company context for Degtyarev-built catalog entries, especially the ZPU-1. The site preserves the plant's historical aliases while keeping the public-facing profile tied to the catalog's canonical manufacturer facet.

Small armsHeavy machine gunsAnti-aircraft gunsGrenade launchersMotor vehicles

Notable Systems

ZPU-1 anti-aircraft gun

Single-barrel 14.5 mm towed anti-aircraft gun

Weaponsystems.net identifies No. 2 Degtyarev plant in Kovrov as the producer of the ZPU-1, which is the connected catalog entry for this builder facet.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net ZPU-1

PPSh-41 submachine gun

The official company website credits the plant with creating the PPSh-41, one of the best-known Soviet infantry weapons associated with the factory.

Sources: Official website

PTRD anti-tank rifle

The official company website also names the Degtyarev anti-tank rifle among the plant's famous wartime weapons.

Sources: Official website

Manufacturer History

1916-08-27
Founded in Kovrov
Commons/Wikidata reference the enterprise's inception on 27 August 1916, and the official company site also places its founding in Kovrov in 1916.
Sources: Wikimedia Commons category, Official website
1927
Plant No. 2 naming appears
GlobalSecurity describes the Kovrov machine-gun plant as becoming Tool Plant No. 2 in 1927 and then Plant No. 2 of the USSR People's Commissariat of Armaments.
Sources: GlobalSecurity history

Predecessors

Kovrov Machine Gun Plant

Website links

Official website War & Sanctions profile Wikimedia Commons category GlobalSecurity history

Public English-language references use several spellings and legal forms, including Degtyarev Plant, V.A. Degtyarev Plant, ZiD, and ZID JSC. Sanctions and reference listings are used to reconcile the current legal identity and ownership context. A single public-domain logo was verified for reuse; no facility photograph was confirmed during this task.

Manufacturer Sources

Weaponsystems.net ZPU-1Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the connected ZPU-1 system as a Degtyarev plant product and the builder's catalog role on the ZPU family. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Official websitePublisher: V.A. Degtyarev Plant | Note: Supports the 1916 Kovrov founding context, the current V.A. Degtyarev Plant name, and the factory's small-arms and gun-weapon production background. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Wikimedia Commons categoryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the Degtyarev plant category, alternate spellings, inception date, headquarters location in Kovrov, and the company being a joint-stock weapons manufacturer. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
War & Sanctions profilePublisher: War & Sanctions | Note: Supports the current legal entity name, address in Kovrov, and the Rostec / High-Precision Systems ownership context. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
GlobalSecurity historyPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the historical Plant No. 2 and Tool Plant No. 2 naming transition used in the profile aliases and timeline. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
Degtyarev Plant logoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the public-domain ZiD logo used as the builder profile image; the file page marks it as a reusable text logo tied directly to the Degtyarev plant identity. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

ZPU-1 anti-aircraft gun, Single-barrel 14.5 mm towed anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense

2001 War in Afghanistan, 2003 Iraq War +2 moreZPU-1 anti-aircraft gunSingle-barrel 14.5 mm towed anti-aircraft gunBuilt in: Soviet UnionThe ZPU-1 is the single-barrel member of the Soviet ZPU family, mounting a 14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun on a light two-wheel carriage. Cataloged evidence documents pickup-mounted militant use in Afghanistan, captured Iraqi and Islamic State examples, and Islamic State-Yemen technical-mounted use during the 2014 Yemen Civil War.