Zastava M21
| Zastava M21 | |
|---|---|
 M21 A assault rifle | |
| Type | Assault rifle, submachine gun |
| Place of origin |
 Serbia |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Marinko Petrović[1] |
| Manufacturer | Zastava Arms |
| Produced | 2004-present |
| Number built | 50,000+ |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
4.15 kg (9.1 lb) (M21 A) 4.07 kg (9.0 lb) (M21 S) 3.91 kg (8.6 lb) (M21 C) |
| Length |
1,000 mm (39 in) stock extended, 750 mm (30 in) stock folded (M21A) 915 mm (36.0 in) stock extended, 666 mm (26.2 in) stock folded (M21S) |
| Barrel length |
460 mm (18 in) (M21 A) 375 mm (14.8 in) (M21 S) 325 mm (12.8 in) (M21 C) |
|
| |
| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated (rotating bolt) |
| Rate of fire | 680 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 925 m/s |
| Effective firing range |
450 m (490 yd) with iron sights 600 m (660 yd) with optics |
| Feed system | 30-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Adjustable iron sights, optional mount required for optical sights |
The Zastava M21 is a series of 5.56mm firearms developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms.[2]
Overview
The M21 is based on the AK-47 Kalashnikov principle, chambered in the 5.56×45mm cartridge.[3] The current models use a 1.5mm thick stamped receiver, while a future model will feature an improved receiver of 0.9mm thickness to achieve a considerably lighter weight. Like many modern assault rifles, the M21 can incorporate picatinny rails for mounting accessories like optics, vertical grips, bipods, etc.
The Zastava M21 is gas operated with a rotating bolt locking system.[3] It features a hard chromium-plated, cold forged standard rifled or an optional polygonal rifled barrel, integrated 22mm flash hider grenade launcher, rigid polymer folding stock, heavy-duty synthetic handguard with an additional left hand side fire selector, cover mounted picatinny rail for optical sights. The rifle can also mount a 40mm under-barrel grenade launcher.[3] It has a magazine capacity of 30 rounds. The cyclic rate of fire is 680 rounds per minute, and the sustained rate of fire is 120 rounds/min.[3]
Barrels
- conventional barrel (Zastava M21)
- polygonal barrel (Zastava M21B)
The regular barrel has six grooves with a right-hand twist. An octagonal polygonal version is also available and has four grooves with a right-hand twist (M21B). Barrels are also hard chrome plated to provide a longer service life.[4]
The rifle has conventional iron sights that consist of a front post and a flip-up rear sight with 300m and 500m apertures. A set of picatinny rails on the hand guard can mount various optoelectronic devices. The M21 is a modular weapon, with configuration dependent on the task and mission.
Optical sights:
- ON M04 "TELEOPTIK and
- ON M04A "ZRAK"
Optoelectronic devices:
- Reflex sight, M04 "MARS"
- Bookmark target laser M04A-AIM2000
- Passive monocular M04 MINI N/SEAS
- Passive sight PN 3x50 "SOVA"
- Bookmark laser target M04 "INFIZ"
- Passive monocular MINI N/SEAS combined with reflex sight M04 "MARS"
Variants
The M21 comes in several assault rifle and carbine variants:
- M21 A – Standard baseline assault rifle.[5]
- M21 ABS – Built-in picatinny rail system.
- M21 S – Compact short barrel assault rifle.[6]
- M21 SBS – Built-in picatinny rail system.
- M21 – Carbine.[7]
- M21 BS – Built-in picatinny rail system.
Users
Armenia - Used by Armenian special forces[8]
Azerbaijan - Used by Special Forces [9]
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Used by federal (SIPA) and special police units.[10]
Cameroon - Special Police Forces.[11] 
Iraq - Iraqi Armed Forces, Private security contractors,[12] Multinational force.[4][13]
Jordan[10]
Macedonia - Purchased in 2005.[4][14]
Peru[15]- Serbia[4]
See also
- Zastava M70
- AK-12
- AN-94
- R4 assault rifle
- IMI Galil
- Rk 95 Tp
References
- ↑ "Patente proglasili kopijom" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti.
- ↑ http://www.zastava-arms.rs/en/militaryproduct/assault-rifle-m21
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://www.zastava-arms.rs/cms/index.php?id=227
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "M21 deo naoružanja Vojske Srbije" (in Serbian). B92. 10 February 2008.
- ↑ http://www.zastava-arms.rs/en/militaryproduct/assault-rifle-m21
- ↑ http://www.zastava-arms.rs/en/militaryproduct/assault-rifle-m21-s
- ↑ http://www.zastava-arms.rs/en/militaryproduct/submachine-gun-m21
- ↑ "Oružari ipak izvoze u Jermeniju" (in Serbian). B92. 29 December 2006.
- ↑ http://balkanmonitor.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/zastava-arms-signs-30-million-tech-transfer-deal-with-azerbaijan/
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/transfers/transparency/national_reports/serbia/SER_08.pdf/view
- ↑ "Snajperi iz Zastave za Jordan i Indoneziju" (in Serbian). Blic. 12 January 2011.
- ↑ http://www.ekapija.com/website/sr/page/125406_en
- ↑ "So lucky to survive bomb horror". Wales Online. 14 September 2008.
- ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/files/portal/spotlight/country/eu_pdf/europe-serbia-2006.pdf
- ↑ "NATO vojnici nose srpske puške" (in Serbian). Blic. 28 February 2008.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zastava M21. |
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