CZ 99

Type-Semi Automatic Pistol

Place of origin-SFR Yugoslavia

Designer	Božidar Blagojević
Designed	1989–1991
Manufacturer	Crvena Zastava (Zastava Arms)
Produced	1991–present
Variants	See Variants

Weight	970 grams in 9×19mm Para 960 grams in .40 S&W
Length	Standard: 190mm Compact: 182mm
Barrel length	Standard: 108mm Compact: 100mm
Height	140mm
Diameter	188mm (grip diameter)
Cartridge	9×19mm Parabellum .40 S&W
Action	Short recoil, locked breech, tilting barrel (DA/SA)
Feed system	15 round double-stack box magazine (9mm), 10 round double-stack box magazine (.40)
Sights	three dot Iron sights

The CZ 99 is a full-sized, semi-automatic service pistol produced by Zastava Arms.It was developed in 1989 to replace the Zastava M57 in the Yugoslavian Military and Police. Design of the CZ 99 was based on SIG Sauer P226 while the frame design was influenced by Walther P88. The CZ 99 is chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W

In the late 1980s Yugoslavian police and the military had been looking to replace the aging handgun models in use at that time, such as the Zastava m57 and Mod.70.

Development team at Crvena Zastava, led by Božidar Blagojević had been given a challenge to complete the design of this new gun and move to the prototype stage in a very short time period of only 5 to 6 months. Accepting this challenge, the engineering team had completed the technical documentation in only 90 days, and by the end of 1989 the design had been finalized.

The team moved to the prototype stage. The prototype had been completed just in time for the 1990 Las Vegas S.H.O.T. Show where it was presentred for the first time to the public. Taking the feedback regarding the design, Zastava had made some changes to the original design and introduced the second, much-improved prototype at the IWA show in Nurenberg, Germany.

This modified prototype received positive feedback and Zastava had produced further two prototype units which were shipped in August 1990 to USA for further testing. As tests results were positive it had been decided to move to mass production by early 1991. The total investment of $2 million USD went into modernizing the manufacturing line with state of the art CNC machines.

With assembly line modernized, everything was set for mass production by early 1991 as planned.

Design of the CZ 99 was based on SIG Sauer P226, while frame design was influenced by the Walther P88. However, the CZ 99 is not a copy of either, but rather borrows from both designs. frame is made out of PD 33 aluminum alloy while the slide is machined out of hammer forged steel.
Operating mechanism
The CZ 99 is a short recoil-operated locked breech semi-automatic pistol that uses a modified Browning cam-lock system adapted from the Hi-Power pistol. The firearm's locking mechanism utilizes a linkless, vertically tilting barrel with a rectangular breech that locks into the ejection port cut-out in the slide. During the recoil stroke, the barrel moves rearward initially locked together with the slide approximately 3 mm (0.12 in) until the bullet leaves the barrel and chamber pressure drops to a safe level. A ramped lug extension at the base of the barrel then interacts with a tapered locking block integrated into the frame, forcing the barrel down and unlocking it from the slide. This camming action terminates the barrel's movement while the slide continues back under recoil, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge casing. The slide's uninterrupted rearward movement and counter-recoil cycle are characteristic of the Browning system.
Features
The CZ 99 incorporates fully ambidextrous slide release/decocker (Both slide release and decocker use same lever) as well as ambidextrous magazine release button. It also features loaded chamber indicator and DA/SA trigger (DA/SA + DAO on CZ 999)
The CZ 99 has no manual safety instead pistol can be decocked and holstered safely and can be fired in double action mode by simply pulling the trigger. The hammer may also be manually cocked at any time by the user to fire in single action mode.
Barrel
hammer-forged hard-chromed barrel is made from the same material used in the Zastava M84 General-purpose machine gun. In the tests done in the USA in 1991/1992 it was found that it dissipated heat rather well. While this is not a concern with handguns nearly as much as it is with the machine guns, the ability to dissipate heat rapidly makes barrel capable of lasting longer due to a shorther expansion/contraction cycle. Barrel is hard-chromed (inside and out) to protect from corrosion and wear of corrosive service ammunition used by Yugoslavian Military and Police

Users

Iraq bought 18000 CZ 99 pistols in service with Iraqi Army. Out of the 18000 pistols, 3000 are specially engraved presentation pistols and 15000 are service pistols for the officers of the Iraqi Army.

Israel KSN Industries produced CZ 99 Compact-G named "Golan"

Jordan bought a number of CZ 99 Pistols in mid-2008 

Serbia CZ 99 is a standard issue sidearm of Serbia Army and a service pistol of Serbian police. CZ 999 is in service in specialized units of the Serbian Military and Police, such as the 63rd. Paratrooper Brigade (63. Padobranska Brigada), the 72nd. Special Brigade (72. Specijalna Brigada), the units of the Military Police (Vojna Policija), as well as the SAJ (Specijalna Antiteroristicka Jedinica) - "Special Antiterrorist Unit"

Macedonia Army of the Republic of Macedonia uses among others CZ 99 and 999 Scorpion

Montenegro CZ 99 is a standard issue sidearm of Montenegrin Army and service pistol of Montenegrin police

South Africa