Serbia Debuts Modernized OSA M79 90mm Anti-Tank Tandem Warhead Rocket at Partner 2025.

Serbia unveiled a modernized 90mm OSA M79 anti-tank rocket alongside its reusable launcher family at Partner 2025 in Belgrade on Sept. 25, 2025. The core upgrade is the munition itself: a new tandem-shaped charge and refreshed propellant for steadier muzzle velocity and better performance against ERA.

At Partner 2025 in Belgrade on 25 September 2025, Serbia showcases a modernized 90 mm OSA M79 anti-tank rocket alongside its reusable launcher family. The munition remains within the familiar OSA lineage and keeps the 90 mm caliber, but it adds a tandem shaped-charge warhead and a refreshed propellant to deliver more consistent muzzle velocity.
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Modernized 90 mm OSA M79 anti-tank rocket with tandem warhead on display at Partner 2025 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The modernized rocket measures 720 mm in length and weighs 3.9 kg out of its container. With the transport and storage canister the figure rises to 5.6 kg. The warhead with fuze is listed at 2.3 kg. Velocity at launch sits in a fairly tight band between 250 and 260 meters per second. Effective range is given as 350 meters, with a maximum of 600 meters under favorable conditions. Penetration in rolled homogeneous armor, when no reactive armor is present, is stated as equal to or above 500 mm. Those numbers place the round in the category of direct fire anti armor munitions that reward quick handling and correct sight picture rather than long setup. The stated tube length associated with this family is 1200 mm, which helps with context and with training continuity.

The move to a tandem charge is not cosmetic. Contemporary vehicles and even ad hoc urban strongpoints use add on layers or dynamic protection. The tandem sequence aims to defeat the outer layer first, then allow the main jet to form and act on the base armor. It does not promise miracles, but it pushes the munition toward a steadier effect across a wider set of target constructions. The new propellant blend has a different purpose. It looks designed to keep initial velocity inside a narrow window, which means sight dope and holdover tables stay consistent from lot to lot. In practice that helps small units who cannot spend long hours confirming zero at a range the week before deployment.

Operationally, the modernized OSA M79 round fills a very practical niche. Urban units and territorial defense formations need a way to break through walls, disable a firing point, or threaten light armor without hauling a complete missile system. A 90 mm tandem HEAT rocket launched from the shoulder offers that tool. At around 350 meters the shooter can achieve combat accurate hits if the range is read correctly and the target is not moving too fast. The propellant update matters here, because a predictable muzzle velocity reduces the guesswork. In close terrain the round can also serve during ambushes against vehicles that expose flanks or rear arcs. The thermobaric companion round gives the same teams a way to produce heavy overpressure inside a room or a bunker. When the launcher is paired with a UGV such as Milos or integrated with Obad drones, it becomes something else again. A remote trigger from behind cover or a resupply robot shuttling extra containers is not theory any more. Serbia demonstrated that general approach at recent Partner shows, and the OSA family fits it without exotic adapters.

The broader technical context is that the OSA line is familiar across the Balkans and beyond. Keeping the caliber and the basic handling allows armies to slide a new rocket into existing training cycles and storage racks. The effective range figure, conservative by design, reflects the realities of shooting in streets and courtyards where sightlines are short and time on target is measured in seconds. The maximum of 600 meters reads correctly as a ballistic envelope rather than a guarantee. Users will treat it that way. None of this makes the rocket glamorous, but it preserves utility. It is easier to carry two or three of these in a team than to commit a high end missile to every patrol.

Serbia’s defense industry continues to iterate on legacy systems that many operators already know, and that choice has consequences. Countries balancing budgets and relationships do not always buy into a single supply chain. A modernized 90 mm rocket that works with a reusable tube and offers a guided option later gives them room to maneuver. It also creates second order effects for regional markets where surplus launchers exist and units want fresh munitions rather than a wholesale switch to a different caliber. If these rounds move into export channels, the first adopters are likely to be forces that already field OSA tubes or compatible mounts. Proliferation in this sense is about availability inside existing user communities rather than sudden spread to entirely new ones, although that cannot be ruled out.