Place of origin Yugoslavia Designed 1979 | Used by See Operators | |
 | ||
Type Anti-tank rocket launcher Wars Yugoslav Wars
Syrian Civil War Designer Military Technical Institute Belgrade | ||
The M79 Osa ("wasp" in English) is a Yugoslav-made portable 90 mm anti-tank weapon made of fibre-reinforced plastics. It resembles the French portable anti-tank launcher 89 mm LRAC F1. It consists of the launcher, a CN-6 sighting piece, rocket and carrying case for the rocket. The M79 shoots unguided projectiles in direct sight and is effective against armoured fighting vehicles and fortifications.
Contents
Operation
The M79 Osa is operated by a two-man team, an operator and a loader. The loader inserts the rocket container through the rear of the launcher. The operator then takes aim at the target through the CN-6 sight. The CN-6 sight has 3.5x magnification and a 10 degree field of view. It also features anti-laser filters to protect the operator from blinding battlefield lasers. When the trigger is pressed, the rocket motor is fired electronically. The rocket leaves the launcher at a speed of approximately 250 meters per second. It is accurate enough to be used against armoured vehicles at a range of 350 meters, and can engage larger stationary targets up to 600 meters away.
On impact a piezoelectric impact fuse in the rocket triggers the shaped charge warhead, which can penetrate up to 400 millimeters of armour. The fuse is sensitive enough to trigger the warhead at impact angles up to 70 degrees from the vertical. After firing, the spent rocket container is removed from the launcher, and a fresh tube is attached.
Operational history
The M79 Osa was designed and manufactured by Sloboda Čačak in the former Yugoslavia. It has continued production in Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and in Croatia as the RL90 M95.
A large number of the M79 OSA has been supplied to the rebels in Syria which has been proven effective in deterring the government army's armor. Many have mistaken the M79 supplied to the rebels in Syria for the Russian RPG-29 rocket launcher, which is also seeing use. M79 Osa is used in Iraq by Islamic State against Iraqi army and as JANES reported is used against US-made M1 Abrams tanks.