[Balkan Shield 2026] TRB Presents Upgraded Version of Vampir Pistol
Last year, the first batch of Vampir pistols was imported from Bosnia to the United States. Previously, I wrote about the history of this handgun, and James Reeves of TFB TV reviewed the pistol in his video. After watching the video, viewers had two main complaints: price point and lack of red dot compatibility.
The price situation was indeed unfortunate - new tariffs imposed on Bosnia in 2025 added 30% to the price of the pistol. Since then, the retail price of Vampir dropped to a more reasonable $995, and the US importer TCH-Arms offered a dovetail mount for a red dot, trying to fix the second issue.
However, at the Balkan Shield 2026 exhibition, the manufacturer showcased a more conventional solution with a slide-mounted red dot sight. The footprint is Shield RMS/Holosun K.
Many compare the RS9 Vampir to the SIG 226, and there are certainly many similarities. However, as I mentioned in previous articles, the bloodline of the Vampir leads to the Serbian CZ99 pistol, which was developed in 1989 specifically for the US market. The UNÂ embargo of 1992, introduced after the beginning of the war in Yugoslavia, prevented worldwide proliferation of the CZ99.
According to industry insiders, the chief designer of the pistol, Božidar Blagoević, left the factory, taking the blueprints with him. Soon after, he started production of his own version, BB-22. But an embargo was still in place, and the pistol designed for the US market only reached its customers in the 2000s after all sanctions were lifted.
However, the design itself outlived the designer - several weapon manufacturers in former Yugoslavia produced pistols based on CZ99/BB-22, and Vampir is the latest example of that.
For now, there is no exact information about when the new red-dot-compatible RS9 Vampir will be available in the United States. The pistol’s exclusive importer is TCH-Arms from Missouri. If upgraded pistols are imported into the US, they should be available on their website.
Vladimir Onokoy is a small arms subject matter expert and author of "From Balkans to Babylon: Zastava AKs of Yugoslavia, Serbia, and Iraq", the first English-language book about the history of M70 and Tabuk AKs. Over the years he worked in over 20 different countries as a security contractor, armorer, field analyst, product manager, and consultant. His articles were published in Recoil magazine, Small Arms Review, Small Arms Defense Journal, Overt Defense and Silah Report. He also worked as the historical consultant for movies and weapon history books, namely "Vickers Guide: Kalashnikov" series, and Ian McColum's "Small Arms of WW2: Soviet Union". You can contact him here vonokoybooks@proton.me
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Geez I've got both a CZ99 and the South African clone TZ99.....In single action the trigger take up on the TZ is about 2 miles....