Infantry Weapons

M79 Osa

Also known as
  • Wasp
  • RBR-90mm M79
  • RBR 90 mm M79 OSA
  • RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA
  • RL90 M95
  • OSA 2

The M79 Osa is a Yugoslav-designed, reusable 90 mm shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher built around unguided HEAT rockets, a detachable rocket container, and optical sighting. Direct conflict-use evidence includes Free Syrian Army firing in Damascus, Islamic State-associated M79 Osa rockets and launchers in Syria and Iraq, and a Somali security-force seizure in Puntland; source-backed family context also covers the RL90 M95, OSA 2, and thermobaric rocket payload.

M79 Osa, Reusable 90 mm anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons
Image source: M79 Osa image

Role in Conflicts

2013 War in Iraq
Anti-ArmorInsurgent / Guerrilla Use

CTC Sentinel cited Brown Moses imagery from Islamic State operations in Al Anbar showing M79 Osa launchers among light anti-tank weapons reaching Iraq, supporting a narrow Iraq-specific fielding claim rather than a confirmed individual firing incident.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Yugoslavia
Built in
YugoslaviaSerbia
Type
Reusable 90 mm anti-tank rocket launcher
Service note
Introduced in 1979 and still encountered in post-Yugoslav and Middle Eastern conflicts
Designer
Military Technical Institute Belgrade
Designed
1979
Unit cost
Not publicly reported
Produced
1979 onward
Number built
Not publicly reported

Specifications

Crew
2
Caliber
90 mm
Loaded weight
About 11.2 kg
Launcher weight
About 6.2 kg
Length loaded
About 1.91 m
Muzzle velocity
About 250 m/s
Effective range
About 350 m against armored vehicles; up to 600 m against larger stationary targets
Warhead
HEAT rocket, commonly cited around 400 mm RHA penetration
Designation Context

The M79 Osa family appears in public sources under several closely related names rather than as cleanly separated weapon pages. Eurokompozit used RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA for the baseline 90 mm launcher, Croatian technical-history material identifies RL90 M95 as a mid-1990s Croatian Osa copy, and 2025 reporting treats OSA 2 as a modernized Serbian continuation with new sighting and rocket options.

Baseline designation

RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA.

Sources: Eurokompozit RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA; Macedonia: Guns, Policing and Ethnic Division.

Croatian designation

RL90 M95.

Source: Croatian Technical Encyclopedia: Rocket Weapons.

Modernized line

OSA 2, reported with updated fire control and multiple 90 mm rocket options.

Source: Serbia unveils modernized OSA 2 launcher with guided anti-tank round at Partner 2025.

Variants

Public sources use overlapping M79 Osa designations: the baseline Yugoslav-family RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA, the Croatian RL90 M95 copy, and the later Serbian OSA 2 modernization shown with new fire-control and rocket options.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
RBR 90 mm M79 - OSABaseline export designation

Eurokompozit's archived product page titles the weapon as a Rocket launcher RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA and describes the 90 mm reusable launcher, rocket container, optical sight, and 400 mm RHA penetration claim.

Sources: Eurokompozit RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA, Macedonia: Guns, Policing and Ethnic Division

RL90 M95Croatian-produced Osa copy

The Croatian Technical Encyclopedia states that a copy of the Osa rocket was produced in Croatia in the mid-1990s under the RL90 M95 designation.

Sources: Croatian Technical Encyclopedia: Rocket Weapons

OSA 2Modernized 90 mm reusable launcher

Army Recognition reported the OSA 2 at Partner 2025 as a compact 90 mm reusable launcher with updated sights, ballistic computer, laser rangefinder, day/night sight, and SATR, CR, TBR, and guided GATR rocket options.

Sources: Serbia unveils modernized OSA 2 launcher with guided anti-tank round at Partner 2025

Thermobaric Rocket

A defense article says Yugoimport SDPR was offering a thermobaric rocket for the M79 Osa, giving the launcher family a documented anti-structure payload option beyond the standard HEAT round.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Thermobaric warhead, Thermobaric payload, MunitionsThermobaric warheadThermobaric rocket

ResearchGate-indexed reporting states that Yugoimport SDPR offered a new thermobaric rocket for the M79 Osa (Wasp) multipurpose assault weapon system.

Sources: Yugoimport SDPR offers thermobaric rocket for Wasp

Documented Payloads

Public sources show the M79 Osa family in two distinct payload lanes: the standard 90 mm shaped-charge rocket and a later thermobaric rocket offer.

90 mm hollow-charge rocket

A Serbian military-innovation paper describes the M79 OSA as a 90 mm portable rocket launcher with a hollow-charge warhead and a cited penetration figure of up to 400 mm of homogeneous armor at 350 m.

Source: Seventy Years of Military Innovation.

Thermobaric rocket

Defense reporting says Yugoimport SDPR offered a thermobaric rocket for the M79 Osa and that the heavier payload reduced muzzle velocity from 250 m/s to 140 m/s.

Source: Yugoimport SDPR offers thermobaric rocket for Wasp.

Timeline

M79 Osa Key Events

  1. Croatia produces RL90 M95 Osa copy

    The Croatian Technical Encyclopedia describes mid-1990s Croatian production of an Osa rocket copy under the RL90 M95 designation.

    Sources: Croatian Technical Encyclopedia: Rocket Weapons

  2. FSA fighter fires an M79 Osa in Damascus

    Human Rights Watch documented a fighter from the al-Fastat al-Muslimeen Brigade, part of the Free Syrian Army, firing an M79 Osa anti-tank rocket launcher in Abbasid Square.

    Sources: He Didn't Have to Die: Indiscriminate Attacks by Opposition Groups in Syria

  3. YPG captures M79 rockets from Islamic State

    Conflict Armament Research documented M79 Osa 90 mm HEAT rockets captured from Islamic State forces near Ras al-Ayn, Syria.

    Sources: Islamic State Weapons in Iraq and Syria

  4. Serbia showcases a modernized OSA 2 launcher

    Army Recognition reported a modernized 90 mm OSA 2 reusable launcher with onboard ballistic computer, laser rangefinder, and day/night sight at Partner 2025.

    Sources: Serbia unveils modernized OSA 2 launcher with guided anti-tank round at Partner 2025

Media

M79 Osa Images

M79 Osa, Reusable 90 mm anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: M79 Osa image
M79 Osa, Reusable 90 mm anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons - view 2
Source: Kurdish YPG Fighter image
M79 Osa, Reusable 90 mm anti-tank rocket launcher, Infantry Weapons - view 3
Source: Thermobaric head for M79 Osa image
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Sources

Islamic State Weapons in Iraq and SyriaPublisher: Conflict Armament Research | Note: Supports 2014 War Against the Islamic State: M79 Osa 90 mm HEAT rockets were fielded by Islamic State forces and captured from them by the YPG in Syria in 2014. | Accessed: 2026-07-132024 UN Somalia Panel reportPublisher: United Nations Digital Library | Note: Supports 1991 Somali Civil War conflict-materiel evidence: the 2024 UN Somalia Panel report identifies an M79 Osa 90mm anti-tank weapon among weapons seized by PMPF troops supporting PISA in Bosaso, Puntland, on 4 August 2024. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ISIL's Political-Military Power in IraqPublisher: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point | Note: Supports 2013 War in Iraq: CTC cites imagery of Islamic State operations in Al Anbar showing M79 Osa launchers among light anti-tank weapons reaching Iraq. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ISIS Deploys Croatian Weapons Against The Iraqi ArmyPublisher: Brown Moses Blog | Note: Supports 2013 War in Iraq: the post describes Islamic State imagery from Al Anbar operations against the Iraqi army and identifies M79 Osa launchers among the weapons shown. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Taking Stock: The Arming of Islamic StatePublisher: Amnesty International | Note: Supports background on Islamic State anti-tank weapons and identifies the M79 Osa rocket launcher in the group's wider arsenal. | Accessed: 2026-07-13M79 Osa Shoulder-Fired Anti-Tank Rocket LauncherPublisher: Military Factory | Note: Supports general specifications, role, caliber, velocity, weight, effective range, and variant context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Seventy Years of Military InnovationPublisher: Scientific Research, Publishing and Education Center / Military Technical Institute | Note: Supports the M79 OSA description as a 90 mm portable rocket launcher and the stated shaped-charge penetration and range figures in the Serbian military-innovation paper. | Accessed: 2026-07-13He Didn't Have to Die: Indiscriminate Attacks by Opposition Groups in SyriaPublisher: Human Rights Watch | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct-use evidence: HRW documented a Free Syrian Army fighter firing an M79 Osa in Damascus on 19 August 2013. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Yugoimport SDPR offers thermobaric rocket for WaspPublisher: ResearchGate | Note: Supports the thermobaric rocket offer for the M79 Osa (Wasp) and the article's description of the longer reusable launcher and heavier payload. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Macedonia: Guns, Policing and Ethnic DivisionPublisher: Saferworld | Note: Supports the export designation RBR-90mm M79 in the Macedonia arms-trade context and references the Eurokompozit product page. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Eurokompozit RBR 90 mm M79 - OSAPublisher: 11 Oktomvri Eurokompozit | Note: Supports the RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA baseline designation, launcher/container layout, 90 mm caliber, weights, muzzle velocity, range, and 400 mm penetration claim on the archived manufacturer product page. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Croatian Technical Encyclopedia: Rocket WeaponsPublisher: Miroslav Krleza Institute of Lexicography | Note: Supports Croatian technical-history context: M79 Osa production began in 1979 at Sloboda Cacak and Eurokompozit Prilep, and a Croatian Osa copy was produced in the mid-1990s under the RL90 M95 designation. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Serbia unveils modernized OSA 2 launcher with guided anti-tank round at Partner 2025Publisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the 2025 modernized OSA 2 reusable launcher report, including the compact 90 mm launcher, updated sighting unit, ballistic computer, laser rangefinder, day/night sight, and SATR, CR, TBR, and guided GATR rocket options. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Sloboda About UsPublisher: Sloboda AD Cacak | Note: Supports manufacturer background for Sloboda's production of medium and large caliber ammunition, including 90 mm hand anti-tank unguided rockets. | Accessed: 2026-07-13M79 Osa imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary M79 Osa gallery image, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by the uploader. | Accessed: 2026-07-13M79-OSA imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a side-view M79 Osa gallery image, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Kurdish YPG Fighter imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a YPG fighter image categorized with the M79 rocket launcher and licensed CC BY 2.0 from Flickr. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Thermobaric head for M79 Osa imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for an M79 Osa thermobaric warhead display image, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-13