Zastava M93 (Black Arrow)

History

The Zastava M93 "Black Arrow" is a state-of-the-art 12.7mm Anti-Material Rifle (AMR) developed by Zastava Arms of Serbia (former Yugoslavia). This weapon type is designed to incapacitate armored vehicles or precisely suppress buried enemy forces within a certain range. The 12.7mm bullet, capable of defeating light armor, has been the stabilizer of these weapons for decades.

The M93 has combat missions in the Yugoslav wars (1991-2001), 2014-2017) and the Yemeni civil war (since 2015).

The M93 is a fully conventional AMR system using a proven Mauser (Mauser 98) based bolt action device with a swivel bolt, long action design. The rifle can be configured to fire 12.7x108mm (Soviet/Russian DSHK) or 12.7x99mm (NATO BMG) heavy machine gun cartridges at an effective range of 2,000 meters. The 8x32 scope is standard equipment above the receiver for remote work, but other brands can also be installed depending on the shooter's needs.

The weapon is fed from a detachable, spring-loaded 5- or 10-round magazine mounted on the bottom of the receiver. The shoulder rest is adjustable and retractable and is located behind the ergonomic pistol grip unit. The bolt action grip is located on the right side of the pistol body. A carrying handle is attached to the forearm, and the barrel is locked with a multi-flap brake to help manage the massive recoil. A foldable bipod completes the quality of the rifle.

Muzzle velocity is 2,700/2,915 feet per second (DSHK/NATO chambers respectively).

Rifles are available in lengths from 1,510 mm (NATO chamber) to 1,670 mm (DSHK chamber) depending on the model. Its barrel length can be between 840mm and 1,000mm. The weight reaches 35.27 lbs.

Design work on the rifle began in 1993 and the product went into mass production in 1998, with the associated brand labels becoming Zastava Arms and Aspar Arms. Rifle manufacturing continues today (2020).

To date (2020), M93 has been included in inventory in Algeria, Armenia, Georgia, Indonesia, Iraq (Peshmerga Kurdistan element), Jordan, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Philippines, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, Serbia People's Protection Forces (YPG) militias in China, Sri Lanka and northern Syria. The M93 is also favored by the Philippine Marine Corps as the standard AMR for Armenian Army Riflemen.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes