« | The Zafir 7.62 mm is a light machine gun mass-produced by China. It is said to be based on a copied Israeli design, which spawned a lengthy legal conflict that still remains unresolved. The Zafir is a gas-powered automatic firearm, that uses easily replaceable ammo boxes carrying up to 150 rounds. 7.62 mm caliber ammunition gives the Zafir an advantage over BLUFOR MX SW weapons when compared in power and range, but the weapon itself is heavier and less maneuverable. Field Manual[1]
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The Zafir is a 7.62 mm light machine gun used exclusively by Mediterranean CSAT forces in ArmA 3.
Overview[]
The Zafir is a belt fed, gas operated selective-fire light machine gun that is chambered to fire the 7.62×54 mmR cartridge.
It feeds from 150-round linked belts stored in cloth pouches, and can attain a fire rate of up to ~ 952 rounds per minute[CfgWp 7][Formula 1] on full auto with a muzzle velocity of 860 m/s.[CfgMa 2] The Zafir accepts accessories on its top[CfgWp 8] and side[CfgWp 9] rails but its muzzle cannot be fitted with a sound suppressor. It has an integrated bipod fitted beneath the forward end of the handguard.[CfgWp 10]
Despite its heavy recoil, the Zafir provides superb firepower in a small package for CSAT infantry squads. Because it is chambered in 7.62 mm as opposed to 6.5 mm, it outmatches the Mk200 in almost every situation not only in terms of range, but also when it comes to stopping power against targets wearing heavy plate carriers (its 7.62 mmR ammunition has a base damage of 11.6).[CfgAm 1] At distances of ~ 400 metres, the Zafir's operator can consistently take down a heavy plate carrier-wearing foe with just ~ 3 direct hits to their chest. If the target happens to be wearing both a heavy plate carrier and an armoured uniform at the same time, then the Zafir's operator will need to score only ~ 4-5 direct hits instead.
The primary downside to the Zafir stems from its excessive recoil and heavy weight. At a weight of 320 "mass" units[CfgWp 3], the Zafir is only ~ 17% lighter than the much larger 9.3 mm-chambered Navid machine gun (which has a weight of 380 "mass").[CfgWp 11] It is more difficult to control when not firing from a stable position, and the number of reserve belts that the user can carry will be limited if they wish to avoid overburdening themselves.
In contrast, the Mk200 feeds from belts that have fifty more rounds (200), is very controllable even when firing on full auto, and is also much lighter to wield by up to ~ 37% (as it has a weight of only 220 "mass").[CfgWp 12] Lastly, unlike the Mk200, the Zafir is unable to mount a suppressor. This makes it ill-suited for missions that require stealth since it can't be suppressed.
Ironsights[]

The Zafir can be manually zeroed starting at a minimum of 300 metres up to a maximum of 1,000 metres (300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000).[CfgWp 13] By default, it is set to a zeroing of 400 metres.[CfgWp 14] Neither the front nor rear sights are illuminated.
If the top rail is fitted with an optic that can be zeroed beyond 1,000 metres (e.g. TWS MG), the Zafir will permit an absolute maximum zeroing of 1,400 metres.[CfgWp 15] In the specific case of optics that use or allow for zeroing below 300 metres, the Zafir will utilise those settings instead.[note 1]
Ammunition[]
Ammo parameter | 7.62 mmR (Ball) | 7.62 mmR (Tracer) |
---|---|---|
Base damage value | 11.6[CfgAm 1] | 11.6[CfgAm 2] |
Aerodynamic friction | -0.0012[CfgAm 3] | -0.0012[CfgAm 4] |
Muzzle velocity (m/s) | 860[CfgMa 2] | 860[CfgMa 3] |
Expected velocity (m/s) | 800 [CfgAm 5][note 2] |
800 [CfgAm 6][note 2] |
Penetration depth (mm) | 23.22 [CfgAm 7][Formula 2] |
23.22 [CfgAm 8][Formula 3] |
Deflection angle (degrees) | 15°[CfgAm 9] | 15°[CfgAm 10] |
The Zafir can be fed with two types of magazines.[CfgWp 16] They both share the same weight of 50[CfgMa 4][CfgMa 5] "mass" units:
7.62 mm 150Rnd Box[]

Standard-issue 150-round cloth pouch magazine loaded with a mix of ball and tracer 7.62 mmR ammunition.[CfgMa 6]
Every fifth round fired will emit a visible green tracer.[CfgMa 7] The last four rounds of the belt will always consist exclusively of tracers.[CfgMa 8]
7.62 mm 150Rnd Tracer (Green) Box[]

Dedicated tracer magazine loaded entirely with 7.62 mmR tracer ammunition.[CfgMa 9]
Aside from its tracer-exclusive loadout, it is statistically identical to the standard mixed ball/tracer magazine.
Magazine compatibility[]
Weapon name (Classname) |
7.62 mm 150Rnd Box![]() |
7.62 mm 150Rnd Tracer (Green) Box![]() |
---|---|---|
Zafir 7.62 mm (LMG_Zafir_F) |
✔ | ✔ |
Trivia[]
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Gallery[]
Config/script references[]
CfgAmmo
CfgMagazines
CfgWeapons
Formulae |
Notes[]
- ↑ Both unmagnified sights like the ACO or enhanced vision scopes such as the Nightstalker/TWS allow for zeroing under 300 metres. In the case of the former, the Zafir will utilise the optic's fixed zeroing even though it is below 300 metres. In the case of the latter, it will be possible to freely adjust the Zafir's zeroing above or under 300 metres without any restrictions until the optic is removed.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Damage will be reduced if the projectile's velocity drops below this value.
References[]
- ↑ Hlava, B et al. 2014, Arma 3: Field Manual - Weapons Info, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 6 March 2025, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3:_Field_Manual_-_Weapons_Info>.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Johnson, S 2012, 'The Next Gen 7.62mm NEGEV NG7 Machine Gun', The Firearm Blog, 6 March, viewed 3 March 2024, <https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2012/03/06/the-next-gen-7-62mm-negev-ng7-machine-gun/>.
- ↑ Haládik, L 2015, OPREP - MARKSMEN WEAPONS, Arma 3, viewed 19 November 2024, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/oprep-marksmen-weapons>.
- ↑ Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2013, What's New in the Beta, Arma 3, viewed 21 December 2022, <https://arma3.com/whatsnew/beta>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. 2015, SPOTREP #00040, Arma 3, viewed 19 September 2017, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00040>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. 2015, SITREP #00102, Arma 3, viewed 2 June 2024, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/sitrep-00102>.
- ↑ Kovařič, V 2017, SPOTREP #00076, Arma 3, viewed 15 December 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00076>.
- ↑ Kužel, O 2018, SPOTREP #00082, Arma 3, viewed 15 December 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00082>.
- ↑ ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \a3\sounds_f\weapons\zafir\silencer_zafir_1.wss
- ↑ ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \a3\sounds_f\weapons\zafir\silencer_zafir_2.wss
External links[]
See also[]
Weapons of comparable role and configuration[]
- CAR-95-1 (Pacific CSAT counterpart, ArmA 3: Apex only)
- LIM-85 (Syndikat/Loyalist counterpart, ArmA 3: Apex only)
- Mk200 (AAF/FIA counterpart)
- MX SW (NATO counterpart)
- RPK-12 (Russian Spetsnaz counterpart, ArmA 3: Contact only)
- SPAR-16S (CTRG counterpart, ArmA 3: Apex only)
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Handguns | Rook-40 9 mm • Zubr .45 |
Submachine guns | Sting 9 mm |
Carbines | Katiba Carbine 6.5 mm |
Assault rifles | CAR-95 series (CAR-95, CAR-95 GL) • Katiba 6.5 mm (Katiba GL) • SDAR 5.56 mm • Type 115 6.5 mm* |
Designated marksman rifles | ASP-1 Kir 12.7 mm • CMR-76 6.5 mm • Cyrus 9.3 mm • Rahim 7.62 mm |
Sniper rifles | GM6 Lynx 12.7 mm |
Squad automatic weapons | CAR-95-1 5.8 mm • Zafir 7.62 mm |
Machineguns | Navid 9.3 mm |
Launchers | 9M135 Vorona • RPG-42 • Titan MPRL • Titan MPRL Compact |
Static | Mk6 Mortar • Mk30 • Mk32 • Remote Designator • Static Titan Launcher (AA, AT) |
(Parenthesis) denote variants. * denotes weapons exclusive to the Viper sub-faction. Marksmen DLC | Apex DLC | Tanks DLC |