Infantry Weapons

Zastava M02 Coyote

Also known as
  • M02 Coyote
  • M02 Kojot
  • Zastava M02 Kojot
  • Kojot
  • Zastava Coyote

The Zastava M02 Coyote is a Serbian 12.7 mm heavy machine gun that adapts Zastava's licensed M87/NSV-pattern gun to a cradle and tripod for infantry fire support. Official Zastava material lists both 12.7x108 mm and 12.7x99 mm offerings, while conflict documentation places M02 Coyotes with Syrian opposition fighters, armed groups in the Sahel, seizure reporting linked to Boko Haram, and UAE-allied militias in Yemen.

Zastava M02 Coyote, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry Weapons
Image source: File:M02 Kojot.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Serbia
Built by
Zastava Arms
Type
12.7 mm heavy machine gun
Service note
Introduced in the 2000s; documented in post-2015 conflicts through export, diversion, and battlefield-recovery reporting
Designer
Zastava Arms
Designed
Early 2000s
Unit cost
OCCRP/BIRN reported a 2015 BIEM purchase of 205 Coyotes for about EUR2.75 million, roughly EUR12,000 per gun; public pricing is not standardized.
Produced
2000s-present
Number built
Not publicly confirmed
Developed from
Zastava M87 heavy machine gun / NSV-pattern design

Specifications

Caliber
12.7x108 mm; 12.7x99 mm version offered
Operation
Gas-operated automatic heavy machine gun firing from an open bolt
Mount
M87 machine gun on a cradle fixed to a tripod with pistol trigger mechanism and buffered stock
Weight
48.8 kg weapon with mount according to Zastava Arms; mount listed separately at 24 kg
Length
1,970 mm overall with 1,100 mm barrel
Feed
60-round ammunition belt in a box
Rate of fire
700 rounds/min
Effective range
1,500 m listed by Zastava Arms; manufacturer catalog describes anti-aircraft protection and long-range ground fire
M87-Based Configuration

Zastava describes the M02 Coyote as the M87 machine gun adapted to a cradle and tripod for infantry use, with a pistol trigger mechanism and buffered stock to improve fire control.

Infantry mount

Tripod-mounted M87-family heavy machine gun configured as the M02 Coyote.

Fire role

Manufacturer and catalog material describe anti-aircraft protection for mobile infantry and long-range ground fire.

Family branch

The same M87 base gun is advertised in turret, tripod, and vehicle integration forms, with the M02 name reserved for the infantry tripod setup.

Variants

Zastava's 12.7 mm family treats the M87 as the licensed NSV-pattern base gun, the M02 Coyote as the infantry tripod configuration, and the M07 Hummer as a vehicle-mounted adaptation.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
M02 Coyote 12.7x108 mmStandard chambering

Zastava lists 12.7x108 mm for the M02 Coyote, and ARES identified the Syria-documented example as the 12.7x108 mm version.

Sources: Machine gun M02 Coyote, Serbian M02 Coyote HMG and 120 mm mortar projectiles in Syria

M02 Coyote 12.7x99 mm.50 BMG / NATO-caliber offering

Zastava lists a 12.7x99 mm option, and ARES states that the M02 is offered for export in 12.7x108 mm and .50 Browning / 12.7x99 mm versions.

Sources: Machine gun M02 Coyote, Serbian M02 Coyote HMG and 120 mm mortar projectiles in Syria

NSV, 12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Infantry WeaponsM87Licensed NSV-pattern base gun

Zastava describes the M87 as a licensed version of the Soviet NSV and lists the M02 Coyote as the tripod-mounted infantry installation option.

Sources: Machine gun M87

M07 HummerVehicle-mounted M87 adaptation

Zastava describes the M07 as the M87 adapted to a cradle and post for mounting on vehicles or other transport means.

Sources: Machine gun M07

Ammunition Fired

The M02 Coyote is documented in Soviet-pattern 12.7x108 mm form and is also offered in 12.7x99 mm / .50 Browning form.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
12.7x108mm cartridge, 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge, Munitions12.7x108mm cartridge12.7 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge

Zastava lists 12.7x108 mm for the M02 Coyote, and ARES identifies a documented M02 Coyote as a 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun.

Sources: Machine gun M02 Coyote, Serbian M02 Coyote HMG and 120 mm mortar projectiles in Syria

12.7x99mm NATO / .50 BMG, 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun cartridge, Munitions12.7x99mm NATO / .50 BMG.50 BMG / 12.7x99 mm cartridge

Zastava and ARES both support a 12.7x99 mm / .50 Browning version of the M02 Coyote.

Sources: Machine gun M02 Coyote, Serbian M02 Coyote HMG and 120 mm mortar projectiles in Syria

Timeline

Zastava M02 Coyote Key Events

  1. BIEM export purchase reported

    OCCRP/BIRN reported that BIEM bought 205 Coyote machine guns from Zastava in 2015 for export to Saudi Arabia.

    Sources: The Coyote's Trail: A Machine Gun's Path from Serbia to Syria

  2. ARES identifies M02 in Syria

    ARES identified images from a Syrian rebel fighter account as showing a Serbian M02 Coyote 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun.

    Sources: Serbian M02 Coyote HMG and 120 mm mortar projectiles in Syria

  3. Amnesty documents Yemen militia use

    Amnesty reported Serbian-made Zastava M02 Coyote machine guns among weapons used by UAE-allied militias in Hodeidah.

    Sources: Yemen: UAE recklessly supplying militias with windfall of Western arms

  4. Amnesty identifies M02 Coyotes in Sahel armed-group imagery

    Amnesty reported M02 Coyote heavy machine guns among Serbian weapons identified in verified imagery from armed groups in Mali and Burkina Faso.

    Sources: Sahel: Amnesty identifies Serbian weapons in stockpiles of brutal armed groups

Media

Zastava M02 Coyote Videos

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Sources

Machine gun M02 CoyotePublisher: Zastava Arms | Note: Supports manufacturer background, M87-on-tripod configuration, product images, caliber options, dimensions, weight, belt capacity, rate of fire, and tripod-mounted description. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Zastava Arms Military Guns CataloguePublisher: Zastava Arms | Note: Supports M02 Coyote catalog specifications, M87-derived tripod configuration, gas operation, open-bolt action, and intended anti-aircraft and ground fire roles. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Machine gun M87Publisher: Zastava Arms | Note: Supports the M87 as a licensed Soviet NSV version and identifies M02 Coyote as the tripod-mounted infantry installation option. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Machine gun M07Publisher: Zastava Arms | Note: Supports the M07 Hummer as a vehicle or transport-means adaptation of the M87 family. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Yemen: UAE recklessly supplying militias with windfall of Western armsPublisher: Amnesty International | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct use: Serbian-made Zastava M02 Coyote machine guns used by UAE-allied militias in Hodeidah. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Serbian M02 Coyote HMG and 120 mm mortar projectiles in SyriaPublisher: Armament Research Services | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use: ARES identified a Serbian M02 Coyote 12.7x108 mm heavy machine gun in imagery posted by a Syrian rebel fighter in February 2016; also supports distinguishing tripod, stock, pistol-grip, and caliber features. | Accessed: 2026-07-03The Coyote's Trail: A Machine Gun's Path from Serbia to SyriaPublisher: OCCRP / BIRN | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use and transfer context: OCCRP/BIRN traced a serial-numbered Coyote from Zastava through BIEM and Saudi Arabia to an FSA fighter in Syria and reported broader Syrian battlefield appearances. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Serbia Urged to Stop Selling Arms to CameroonPublisher: BIRN / Detektor | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct use: BIRN reported Serbian-made Coyote machine guns in Cameroon and Nigeria, apparently seized from Boko Haram fighters. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Sahel: Amnesty identifies Serbian weapons in stockpiles of brutal armed groupsPublisher: Amnesty International | Note: Supports 2012 Sahel Insurgency direct use: Amnesty identified M02 Coyote heavy machine guns in verified armed-group imagery from Mali and Burkina Faso, including a JNIM-captured stockpile in Burkina Faso. | Accessed: 2026-07-03File:M02 Kojot.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY-SA 4.0 licensing for the M02 Kojot image by Srđan Popović from Partner 2015. | Accessed: 2026-07-03