Yugoimport is a Serbian state-owned company that showcases at IDEX, under a single umbrella, a variety of defense-related products from the country. The firearms at the booth are manufactured by the well-known Zastava Arms company, although the models showcased usually aren’t the ones exported for the civilian market.
In this edition of the event, a couple of advanced prototypes of concepts with a few years of development were the main attraction.
Zastava Arms – Modular Combat System (MCS) M19
[IDEX 2021] Zastava Arms from Serbia at Yugoimport – MCS M19 with 3 extra barrels, 7.62x39mm and 6.5x39mm Grendel.
[IDEX 2021] Zastava Arms from Serbia at Yugoimport – MCS M19, note the barrel release mechanism on the right side and below the front part of the receiver.
[IDEX 2021] Zastava Arms from Serbia at Yugoimport – MCS M19, note the AR-style ambidextrous safety selector and charging handle. The latter has apparently been dropped in the latest iterations of the prototype.
The name M19 may not be final, as it was not written anywhere but on a leaflet handed out by a representative. The assault rifle is still being tested by the Serbian Army.
Another detail that is not yet final is the position of the charging handle. The newest versions have it, possibly on both sides, on the handguard above the barrel (HK G3-style). So it seems that, while the AK-style charging handle is entirely abandoned, the AR one did not win the heart of the Serbian troops.
It is interesting to note that this is not the only attempt to modernizing the AK platform with the possibility to quickly change caliber and barrels, as we’ve recently seen a similar project from Ukraine.
Zastava Arms – SRX20 Semiautomatic Sniper Rifle
[IDEX 2021] Zastava Arms from Serbia at Yugoimport – SRX20 semiautomatic sniper rifle.
Zastava Arms – Other Models
[IDEX 2021] Zastava Arms from Serbia at Yugoimport – M05 C1T, 7.62x39mm with AKS74U-style muzzle device.
[IDEX 2021] Zastava Arms from Serbia at Yugoimport – In the foreground, you can see the updated version of the ” long range rifle” M12 Black Spear cal. 12.7x108mm or .50BMG. In the background is the latest configuration of the M07 in 7.62x51mm NATO or 7.62x54R.
