Zastava M21
The Zastava M21 is a Serbian 5.56×45mm NATO assault rifle developed and manufactured by Zastava Arms.
Zastava M21
Aleksej fon Grozni at Serbian Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 rs
- Name
- Zastava M21
- Field
- assault rifle
- Period
- 2004
- Region
- Serbia
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q148248 · wikipedia · Zastava M21
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Zastava M21 • Origin — Serbia and Montenegro • Type — Assault rifle • Is Ranged — Yes • Used By — See Users • Wars — Iraq War Conflict in Peru Syrian Civil War Iraqi Civil War Boko Haram insurgency • Designer — Marinko Petrović • Manufacturer — Zastava Arms • Unit Cost — $630 (2016) • Production Date — 2004–present • Number — 15,000 • Variants — See Variants • Weight — 4.15 kg (M21 A) 4.07 kg (M21 S) 3.91 kg (M21 C) • Length — 1000 mm stock extended, 750 mm stock folded (M21A) 915 mm stock extended, 666 mm stock folded (M21S) 815 mm stock extended, 570 mm stock folded (M21C) • Part Length — 460 mm (M21 A) 375 mm (M21 S) 290 mm (M21 C) • Cartridge — 5.56×45mm NATO • Action — Gas-operated (rotating bolt) • Rate — 680 rounds/min • Velocity — 925 m/s (M21 A) 890 m/s (M21 S M193) 870 m/s (M21 S M855) • Range — 450 m with iron sights 600 m with optics • Feed — 30-round detachable box magazine • Sights — Adjustable iron sights, optional mount required for optical sights
Variants
Variants
• Illustration — Serbian gendarmes armed with M21s • M21 A – Standard baseline assault rifle. • M21 ABS – Built-in picatinny rail system. • M21 S – Compact short barrel assault rifle. • M21 SBS – Built-in picatinny rail system. • M21 C – Carbine. • M21 BS – Built-in picatinny rail system.
Users
Users
• Illustration — A map with users of the Zastava M21 in blue • Azerbaijan – Used by special forces • Bosnia and Herzegovina – Used by the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska. • Cameroon – Used by the Rapid Intervention Brigade • Iraq • Lebanon • – 500 purchased in 2005. • Peru • Serbia – standard service rifle of the Gendarmery and the reserve service rifle of the Serbian Armed Forces.
Chronology
Dated record
Chronology
The full dated record · 2 entries
2004
Zastava M21 first recorded.
2004
Zastava M21 is recorded from 2004.
Description
The M21 is based on the Kalashnikov rifle, chambered in the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. The current models use a 1.5mm thick stamped receiver. The M21 can incorporate picatinny rails for mounting accessories like optics, vertical grips, bipods, etc. The Zastava M21 is gas operated, long stroke piston with a rotating bolt locking system rifle. It features a hard chromium-plated, cold forged standard rifled or an optional polygonal rifled barrel, integrated 22mm flash hider grenade launcher, heavy-duty synthetic furniture with a polymer folding stock similarly to the AK-74M, and side optics rail as standard (optional adapter base for cover mounted picatinny rail also available). The rifle can also mount a 40mm under-barrel grenade launcher. 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. The Zastava M21 uses a conventional barrel, while the Zastava M21B uses a polygonal barrel. 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. 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. Choices of optical sights include "TELEOPTIK" (ON M04) and "ZRAK" (ON M04A). Optoelectronic devices include a reflex sight ("MARS" M04), two bookmark target lasers ("AIM2000" M04A and "INFIZ" M04), two passive monoculars (M04 MINI N/SEAS and "MARS" M04+MINI N/SEAS), passive sight ("SOVA" PN 3x50).
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Zastava M21, revision 1364937042 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Glas javnosti. Patente proglasili kopijom.
- 2.Assault Rifle M21 A.
- 3.Welcome to Zastava-arms - Zastava-arms.
- 4.B92. M21 deo naoružanja Vojske Srbije. 10 February 2008.
- 5.Assault Rifle M21 S.
- 6.Submachine Gun M21.
- 7.Zastava Arms Signs $30 Million Tech Transfer Deal with Azerbaijan. Balkan Monitor – A Defence & Security Daily. 24 February 2011.
- 8.Arms shipment to Bosnian Serbs stokes EU fears. TheGuardian.com. 13 February 2018.
- 9.Blic. Snajperi iz Zastave za Jordan i Indoneziju. 12 January 2011.
- 10.Binnie, Jeremy. New-model African armies. Jane's. 2017.
- 11.Republic of Serbia: Ministry of Economy and of Regional Development. Annual Report on the Transfers of Controlled Goods in 2008. 37.
- 12.Iraqi interested in import of M21 rifle. eKapija.
- 13.UNDP Serbia and Montenegro. Living with the Legacy: Small arms and light weapons survey Republic of Serbia. Small Arms Survey. 24. 25 March 2005. 86-7728-002-2.
- 14.Blic. NATO vojnici nose srpske puške. 28 February 2008.
References
Citations
References
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Connections
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Connections
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Broader subject
1- assault rifleTerminology
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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