| Zastava M21 | |
|---|---|
 M21A 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 |
| No. built | 50,000+ |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | M21A: 9.15 lb (4.15 kg) |
| Length |
M21A: 39.37 in (1,000 mm) (extended stock) 29.52 in (750 mm) (folded stock) |
| Barrel length | M21A: 18.1 in (460 mm) |
|
| |
| 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] 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 metal 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 submachine gun variants:
- M21A – Standard baseline assault rifle.[2]
- M21ABS – Built-in picatinny rail system.
- M21S – Compact short barrel assault rifle.[5]
- M21SBS – Built-in picatinny rail system.
- M21 – Submachine gun model.[6]
- M21BS – Built-in picatinny rail system.
Users[]
Armenia - Used by Armenian special forces[7]
Azerbaijan - Used by Special Forces [8]
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Used by federal (SIPA) and special police units.[9]- Cameroon - Special Police Forces.[10]
- Iraq - Iraqi Armed Forces, Private security contractors,[11] Multinational force.[4][12]
- Jordan[9]
- Macedonia - Purchased in 2005.[4][13]
- Peru[14]
- Serbia[4]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ "Patente proglasili kopijom" (in Serbian). Glas javnosti. http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2004/11/13/srpski/RG04111201.shtml.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 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.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2008&mm=02&dd=10&nav_category=9&nav_id=284297.
- ↑ 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://www.b92.net/biz/vesti/srbija.php?yyyy=2006&mm=12&dd=29&nav_id=225422.
- ↑ http://balkanmonitor.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/zastava-arms-signs-30-million-tech-transfer-deal-with-azerbaijan/
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 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.blic.rs/Vesti/Tema-Dana/228720/Snajperi-iz-Zastave-za-Jordan-i-Indoneziju.
- ↑ http://www.ekapija.com/website/sr/page/125406_en
- ↑ "So lucky to survive bomb horror". Wales Online. 14 September 2008. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/09/14/so-lucky-to-survive-bomb-horror-91466-21813429/.
- ↑ 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. http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/32109/NATO-vojnici-nose-srpske-puske-.
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Zastava M21 and the edit history here.