M79 Osa
The M79 Osa (from) 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. The M79 shoots unguided projectiles in direct sight and is effective against armoured fighting vehicles and fortifications.
M79 Osa

JNA · Jugoslavija · Public domain
- Name
- M79 Osa
- Field
- personal anti-tank weapon · rocket launcher
- Region
- Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
The M79 Osa (from) 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. The M79 shoots unguided projectiles in direct sight and is effective against armoured fighting vehicles and fortifications.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1025458 · wikipedia · M79 Osa
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — M79 Osa • Type — Anti-tank rocket launcher • Origin — Yugoslavia • Is Ranged — yes • Is Explosive — yes • Used By — See Operators • Wars — Yugoslav Wars Syrian Civil War Yemeni Civil War • Designer — Military Technical Institute • Design Date — 1979 • Manufacturer — Sloboda • Weight — 11.2 kg (loaded) 6.2 kg (launcher) 3.5 kg (rocket) • Length — 1.91 m (launcher loaded) 0.67 m (rocket) • Crew — 2 • Caliber — 90 mm • Yield — 400 mm RHA • Rate — 6 rounds per minute • Velocity — 250 m/s • Range — 350 m (AFVs) 600 m (Buildings) • Max Range — 1,960 m • Sights — CN-6 (3.5× optical sight) or flip up iron sights
Operational history
Operational history
The M79 was widely used in the Yugoslav Wars. A large number of M79 OSA rocket launchers were supplied to rebels in Syria which proved effective in deterring the Syrian Army's armor. Many mistook the M79 supplied to the rebels in Syria for the Russian RPG-29 rocket launcher, which also saw use. M79 Osas were also used in Iraq by Islamic State against Iraqi army and JANES reported their use against US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks. In September 2014, the Houthi movement seized Sanaa, the capital city of Yemen, and in March 2015 the Saudi coalition launched an all out war on them all over Yemen. A large stockpile of M79 Osa rocket launchers and rockets were found in Yemeni military weapons depots. All sides of the conflict have used the M79 since 2015.
Design
Design
The M79 Osa was designed and manufactured by Sloboda in the former Yugoslavia. It has continued production in Serbia, North Macedonia, and in Croatia (as the RL90 M95). The rocket launcher consists of a launcher, rocket, CN-6 sight and carrying case.
Operation
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.
Operators
Operators
• Illustration — Map with M79 operators in blue and former operators in red
Current operators
Current operators
* • (RL90 M95) * * •: Modernized versions with new rockets. * *
Non state operators
Non state operators
• Syria Free Syrian Army • Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg Ahrar al-Sham • ISIS Islamic State • Kurdistan Workers' Party
Former operators
Former operators
• Yugoslavia • Slovenia

Thermobaric head for M79 Osa on display during Partner 2013 arms fair, Belgrade.
Proka89

YPJ YPG
Kurdishstruggle · Kurdish YPG Fighter
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Country
M79 Osa is associated with Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Country
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article M79 Osa, revision 1361496108 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.212 Brdska Brigada Srebrenik. Syria Pobunjenici koriste OSU M79. 31 August 2013.
- 2.- YouTube. YouTube.
- 3.- YouTube. YouTube.
- 4.Ruptly. Yemen: Mass all-woman Houthi rally held in Sanaa. 17 January 2017.
- 5.https://royalarmouries.org/collection/object/object-281903
- 6.https://combatoperators.com/weapons/anti-tank/m79-osa/
- 7.https://archive.nytimes.com/atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/weapons-from-the-former-yugoslavia-spread-through-syrias-war/
- 8.Janes | Latest defence and security news.
- 9.Rocket launcher RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA | EUROKOMPOZIT.
- 10.Rocket launcher RBR 90 mm M79 - OSA | EUROKOMPOZIT.
- 11.https://www.frontchannel.rs/vest.php?id=226
- 12.M79 Osa captured by Syrian Army in Atman, Daraa. One of the first foreign weapons smuggled by Saudis to rebels.
- 13.- YouTube. YouTube.
- 14.T-72 was destroyed by Ahrar Al-Sham using a M79 Osa. Jobar. SLM. 22 March 2017.
- 15.Lister, Charles. Latest ISIS imagery from #Diyala,#Iraq shows an M79 Osa - originally provided to FSA rebels in #Syria by Saudi: http://t.co/OfDEJeIcPB. 521743838264975361. 13 October 2014.
- 16.First time for pkk to use a M-79 OSA targeting Turkish security in Silopi town, Sirnak. 12 April 2016.
References
Citations
References
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Connections
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Broader subject
1- rocket launcherTerminology
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Further particulars
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Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
M79 Osa is classified as a personal anti-tank weapon or rocket launcher. Associated with Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Connected to 2 other published records in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Within the Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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