Zastava Arms

Coordinates: 44°00′29″N 20°54′51″E / 44.00806°N 20.91417°E / 44.00806; 20.91417

Zastava Arms
Native name
 Застава oружје / Zastava oružje
Joint-stock company
Industry Arms industry
Founded 31 December 2000 (2000-12-31) (Current form)
27 October 1853 (1853-10-27) (Originally founded)
Headquarters Kragujevac, Serbia
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Firearms, artillery
Revenue Increase €29.69 million (2017)[1]
Positive decrease -€4.03 million (2017)[1]
Total assets Increase €149.28 million (2017)[2]
Total equity Decrease €12.91 million (2017)[2]
Owner Government of Serbia (48%)
Number of employees
 2,422 (2017)
Website www.zastava-arms.rs/en

Zastava Arms (Serbian: Застава oружје / Zastava oružje) is a Serbian manufacturer of firearms and artillery, based in Kragujevac, Serbia. It was founded in 1853 when it cast its first cannons. It is the leading producer of firearms in Serbia and is a large contributor to the local defense industry. Zastava Arms produces and exports a wide variety of products to over forty countries, including the popular Zastava M70, a Kalashnikov rifle.

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 and 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.[3] 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 Mauzer Milovanović M. 1880, known as "Mauser-Koka" or "Koka's Rifle", after its designer. The weapon was first manufactured in Germany and was called the Mauser-Milovanović M1878/80, cal. 10,15mm.[4] 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 ZB vz. 26 7,9 mm M 1937.

Yugo Mauser Model 1924.

Zastava Arms was heavily damaged during World War II. When Kragujevac was liberated on 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 7.92×57mm 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 7.62×39mm 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 7.62×39mm, which was named Zastava M70 in the following year. Yugoslav People's Army included assault rifle M70 in calibre 7.62×39mm 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.

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

In the 1980s, the plant for action of machine guns M84, M86 in 7.62×54mmR 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, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Remington Arms to export hunting and sporting guns to the United States, Canada and Mexico. From 2005 to 2014, Zastava Arms was in restructuring.

The Government of Serbia invested 9.7 million euros in factory's modernization in 2017, for the needs of defense industry.[5]

Products


Anti-aircraft autocannons

Name Type Prod. years Cartridge Photo Notes
Zastava M55triple-barreled1978–20 mm[6]
Bofors 40 mm gunanti-aircraft/multi-purpose1978–40 mm L/60–70L70 version with laser-computer group under license from Bofors [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "БИЛАНС УСПЕХА (2017) - Застава Оружје". apr.gov.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 "БИЛАНС СТАЊА (2017) - Застава Оружје". apr.gov.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Collection of 19th century weapons until 1918. Archived October 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Military Museum
  4. ↑ Viktor Kovačević (August 1998). "KOKA POPRAVLJA MAUZERA". Srpsko nasleđe, Istorijske sveske, broj 8 (in Serbian). NIP "GLAS".
  5. ↑ "Vojne fabrike u dugovima, hale i oprema zastareli". danas.rs (in Serbian). 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  6. 1 2 "1970-1992". Zastava Arms.
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