Zastava Arms

Zastava arms

File:Zastava Arms Logo.jpg
Native name	Zastava oružje/ Застава oружје
Type	Joint stock
Industry	Arms industry
Founded	27 October 1853 (1853-10-27)
Headquarters	Kragujevac, Serbia
Products	Firearms
Revenue	US$ 37.21 million (2012)
Net income	US$ 0 (2012)
Total assets	US$ 122.82 million (2012)
Total equity	US$ 6.58 million (2012)
Employees	2,009
Website	zastava-arms.rs

Zastava Arms is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery. It was founded in 1853 when it cast its first cannons. It is currently the leading producer of firearms in Serbia and is a large contributor to the local defence industry. Zastava Arms produces and exports a wide variety of products to over forty countries.

History

Gun Foundry in 1856.

Workshop of Zastava Arms in 1910.

The successful production of four four-pound cannons and two short howitzers on October 27, 1853 is date of foundation of Zastava Arms in Kragujevac. Between 1856 an 1860, the facilities in Kragujevac received many upgrades to its manufacturing system, eventually allowing the plant to produce weapons with full parts interchangeability. In 1878, one of the main priorities became the modernization of armaments. Serbian rifle „Piboduša“ Model 1870 Peabody became obsolete with their large 14,9mm caliber. After a research project and a competitive tender in 1879, a new model rifle was chosen as the replacement. The first domestic-made repeating rifle, a derivative of the Mauser Model 1871 bolt-action rifle, was designed in 1880 by Kosta Milovanović and was named "Koka's Rifle", after its designer. The weapon was first manufactured in Germany and was called the Mauser-Milovanović M1878/80, cal. 10,15mm.

File:Yugoslavian M48 rifle.gif

Model 48 Mauser.

In 1924 and 1925, the Ministry of the Interior signed contracts with FN Herstal, Belgium which allowed the production of M24 series bolt-action rifles chambered in 7.92×57mm Mauser. Factory for production of rifles and infantry ammunition was also built. The factory for production of infantry ammunition started to work on March 22, 1928 and the factory for production of rifles and ammunition was put to operation on October 15 (75th anniversary of first casting of cannons in Kragujevac). During 1930, the factory started the production of signal pistols 26 mm M 1929 on the basis of Czechoslovakian licence. In July 1936, the factory got a licence from the Czechoslovakian Zbrojovka Brno to produce light machineguns 7,9 mm M 1937.

PAP M59/66 (Yugo SKS) with a rifle grenade launcher and folding bayonet.

Zastava Arms was heavily damaged during World War II. When Kragujevac was liberated in October 21, 1944, the weapons factory was put back into working order within months and production began shortly after, with the 9mm M 1944 B2 submachine gun developed during the same year. The next postwar production rifle was the 7.92x57mm Mauser Model 1948 on the basis of Model 24. The production of air rifles and sporting rifles on the basis of rifle M48 started in 1953. In 1954 the Zastava started the production of shotguns and small bore rifles, as well as machine gun 7,9 mm M42 ¨Sarac¨. Batch production of semi-automatic rifle PAP M59 7,26x39 mm started in 1964. In the 1964, the factory started the development of automatic rifle, of Kalashnikov system, which was named M67 in 1967. On the basis of rifle M67, the factory developed automatic rifle in caliber 7.62x39 mm, which was named Zastava M70 in the following year. Yugoslav People's Army included assault rifle M70 in calibre 7.62 x 39 mm into its armament in 1970. Small arms derivatives of the M70 produced rifles chambered in Western bloc ammunition such as 7.62×51mm NATO and 5.56×45mm NATO. In 1988, the factory developed a compact design pistol in 9 mm Parabellum model M88. In the 1980s, the plant for action of machine guns M84, M86 in 7.62x54 and heavy machine gun in 12.7 NSV M87 was set to operation as well. In July 1989 Zastava started the development of the double-action pistol in calibre 9mm PARA CZ 99. In 1992, the factory finished the development and testing and started batch production of 7.62 mm submachine gun M92, based on submachine gun M85. Using the Mauser mechanism, the factory developed 12.7 mm long range rifle Black Arrow M93. During the Yugoslav Wars of 1991 to 1995, the United Nations placed economic sanctions on the import and export of weapons from Yugoslavia, production slowed as a result. In 1999 the factory was damaged by NATO bombing. In 2005 Zastava Arms underwent restructuring. The same year, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Remington Arms to export hunting and sporting guns to the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Products

Hunting rifles

• Zastava LK M70
• Zastava LK M70 PSS
• Zastava LK M70 PS
• Zastava LK M808
• Zastava LK M85
• Zastava LK M48/63
• Zastava LK M98

Semi-automatic Sporting Rifles

• Zastava LKP 90 SA
• Zastava LKP M77 SA
• Zastava LKP 76
• Zastava LKP PAP

Handguns

• Zastava P25
• Zastava M57/M70A
• Zastava M70
• Zastava M88
• Zastava CZ 99
• Zastava CZ 999
• Zastava EZ
• Zastava PPZ

Bolt Action Rifles

• Zastava M48 98K

Automatic rifles

• Zastava M70
• Zastava M77
• Zastava M80
• Zastava M85
• Zastava M90
• Zastava M92
• Zastava M21

Machine guns

• M1937
• Zastava M53
• Zastava M72
• Zastava M77
• Zastava M82
• Zastava M84
• Zastava M02 Coyote

Submachine Guns

• M1942 Submachine gun
• M1944 Submachine gun
• M1945 Submachine gun
• Crvena Zastava M49
• Crvena Zastava M51
• Crvena Zastava M56
• Crvena Zastava M65
• Crvena Zastava M84
• Zastava M97
• Zastava Master FLG

Sniper rifles

• Zastava M76
• Zastava M91
• Zastava M93 Black Arrow
• Zastava M07
• Zastava M12 Black Spear

Grenade launchers

• Zastava BGA 30mm

External links

• Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser Rifles, Bogdanović, Branko

• Official website
• M1878/80 Serbian Mauser
• Zastava arms Museum Gallery