M79 Osa (Wasp)

M79 Osa (Wasp) Story

The once unified state of Yugoslavia developed a strong indigenous military-industrial complex distinct from the Soviet Union. Local initiatives have produced several viable battlefield devices, such as the M79 "Osa" ("Wasp"), a 90mm shoulder-mounted, human-portable anti-tank rocket launcher. This weapon provides standard infantry with a powerful armor-piercing weapon with a basic design that makes it ultra-portable and highly maneuverable in the hands of tank-killer infantry. As the name suggests, the M79 was adopted in 1979 and officially entered service with the Yugoslav Army.

As Yugoslavia disintegrated in 1992 after several bloody wars, the system was used by the armies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia (known as "RL90 M95"), Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Other operators have also involved Free Syrian Army rebels in the ongoing Syrian civil war campaign that began in 2011 after the Arab Spring.

The weapon is also present with ISIS forces in Iraq.

The design of the M79 follows the accepted conventions of man-portable shoulder-fired weapons, as the system is centered around the launch tube, integrated optics (3.5x CN-6), and self-propelled rocket. The weapon's reliance on line of sight exposes the operator to enemy fire and other battlefield hazards, but this can be counteracted by using natural cover and guerrilla tactics against unsuspecting armored vehicles. A typical operator consists of two people, including a firefighter and an ammunition operator. The launcher weighs 13.6 pounds with the 7.7-pound rocket, and the combined system weighs a whopping 24.7 pounds.

With the missiles deployed, the total length is just over 1.80 m. The curved stock, a front vertical handle and an adjustable monopod have built-in support behind the stock.

The caliber of the weapon is 90 mm, and the muzzle velocity of the launched missile is estimated to be 820 feet per second. The missile is designed with a shaped charge warhead to penetrate up to 15 inches of armor - giving it good performance against most main battle tank armor - especially Cold War-era armor blocks without explosive reactive armor (ERA) support. Additionally, the weapon can target fortifications used in the "Bunker Breaker" role.

The launcher is reusable and has a rate of fire of six missiles per minute. The missile is triggered by an electronic array.

As mentioned, the weapon is still in use today, mainly due to its effectiveness and availability - although the operators are still mostly remnants of the former Yugoslav and second-tier armed forces.

M79 Osa (Wasp) Specification

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