Country of origin |
France |
Entered service |
1987 |
Caliber |
58 mm |
Weight |
~ 3.61 kg |
Rocket weight |
0.62 kg |
Length |
800 mm |
Muzzle velocity |
250
m/s |
Sighting range |
400 m (?) |
Range of effective fire |
400 m |
Armor penetration |
250 mm RHAe |
Concrete penetration |
800 mm |
|
A product of
Luchaire (now Nexter), the Wasp 58 is a compact and disposable 58 mm
anti-tank rocket weapon. It was designed for maximum compactness and
versatility, rather than for high armor penetration. While this
weapon was a private venture by that company, and was aimed
primarily at the export market, it found a following within NATO as
well.
This weapon was the product of a couple of observations made
by Luchaire. Notably, as anti-tank munitions were becoming larger,
they were also becoming increasingly less affordable, and also that
very few threats in any foreseeable conflict would require something
as powerful as an
AT4 or
an
APILAS to destroy. Moreover, many troops such as special forces,
frogmen, and paratroopers needed weapons that were lighter more than
they needed those that were powerful, so that they could carry a
single disposable anti-tank rocket launcher for the long haul, or
several when more immediate contact was expected. The Developing
World was a major consideration as well, since new infantry
anti-tank weapons were becoming increasingly less affordable for
their typically very tight budgets, and maximum armor penetration
was often relatively pointless --- a soldier might need an AT4 to
fight a T-72
or an M60A3 Patton, but in some regions they were more likely to fight
an M41 Walker, or even just an AML. This realization was arrived-at
in the mid-1980s, and ultimately inspired a program to produce such
a weapon, resulting in the Wasp 58. However, little else of the Wasp
58's background is known, save that its first sales were achieved in
1987, and that even the French military purchased them.
Large shock absorbers are fitted to either end of the
relatively narrow launcher, giving it a distinctive dumbbell-like
appearance. A shoulderpad is located on the underside of the
launcher toward the rear, and a bulky foregrip on the underside
toward the front. A simple optical sight is built into a blocky
L-shaped fixture on the upper-left side of the tube, in its aft
midsection. The sling swivels are located on the underside the
launcher, just inside of the shock absorbers. A notch is cut into
the upper-left side of the forward shock absorber, to allow the user
to see the target (if not for the notch, the forward shock absorber
would block it). There also seems to be two variations of the
weapon's exterior; some flyers depict a weapon with no shock
absorbers, while others show a weapon with additional padding on top
of the tube behind the sight. The launch tubes are typically painted
olive drab (some may be sand-colored, or other colors) with yellow
or white stenciling, while the sling, shock absorbers, pads, and
sight fixture are usually black.
The composition of the Wasp 58 is similar to that of most
other modern disposable anti-tank rocket launchers, with a
reinforced fiberglass launch tube, sheet steel brackets, stamped
steel sights, and foam rubber shock absorbers and pads. The
projectile is made mostly of aluminum, usually with a bare metal
finish, and has a steep and pointed conical nose. A recession in the
aft fuselage of the missile holds six folding fins, which spring-out
into a 90-degree radial formation as the projectile exits the
muzzle.
The warhead used on the Wasp 58's rocket is the same one from
the AC 58 rifle grenade, which is typically launched from the
FAMAS.
It contains a 615 g hexogen-tolite filler and a copper charge liner,
and is only rated to penetrate 250 mm of steel, but it is also
capable of penetrating 800 mm of concrete. Some sources have claimed
the Wasp 58 can penetrate 400 mm of steel, but this figure is
implausible --- even shaped charge munitions with a 50% wider charge
liner have had trouble penetrating this much steel. The propellant
charge employs a Davis principle countermass, containing 900 g of
shredded plastic chips. It works much like the countermass in the
Armbrust anti-tank rocket launcher; in that nearly all of the
force of the launch is consumed by ejecting and pulverizing the
countermass. As a result, the force of the backblast is reduced to
the point where the Wasp 58 may safely be launched from inside
almost any structure, although it is still too dangerous for
personnel to stand directly behind the venturi. Almost all of the
kinetic energy from the countermass is lost within 1 m of the
venturi.
No
information on the Wasp 58's sights appears to have been published,
but given its reported 400 m effective range, the stadia lines
definitely indicate distances out to at least that far. It appears
to be a simple telescopic sight. At a range of 250 m or less, the
Wasp 58 reportedly has a hit probability of over 90%.
The operation of the WASP 58 is extremely simple. To fire it,
the user simply removes the arming pin, raises the sights, shoulders
the weapon and takes aim, then squeezes the trigger until the weapon
fires. The tube is not designed to be reloaded, so it is discarded
on the spot.
The Wasp 58 is light enough that a single soldier is expected
to easily carry several of them, and packs holding up to 4 have been
demonstrated by the manufacturer. The advantage this offers a small
formation of troops is significant, as it would allow a single
platoon of soldiers (about 50 soldiers) to carry and launch over 100
rockets without a significant weight penalty, which in most
situations more than offsets the Wasp 58's small warhead.
Unfortunately, the best-known uses of the Wasp 58 are rather
grim stories. During the Rwandan Genocide, French troops armed with
the weapon looked the other way as the mass murder occurred, and in
some instances virtually enabled it. The 17N terrorist group in
Greece stole a number of Wasp 58s from the Hellenic Army on April
7th 1998, and used them in a number of criminal acts; these included
an attack on a Citibank building in Athens later that year, and a
rocket attack the US embassy in Athens in January of 2007.
The Wasp 58 was manufactured in France and Greece, and was a
substantial commercial success, with over 450 000 built. They have
been used by Belgium, Denmark, France, Greece, and the Netherlands,
as well as an unknown number of additional confidential customers.
It is unclear when production of the Wasp 58 ended, but it is
no longer offered by Nexter. Since their acquisition of the SAAB-Bofors
AT4-CS, this newer weapon is gradually overtaking the role that the
Wasp 58 was once used for, though some stocks still remain. The Wasp
58 is still used by the Hellenic armed forces, but its status
elsewhere is unknown.
Similar weapons
M72 LAW: US-designed 66 mm disposable anti-tank rocket launcher,
which revived the Panzerfaust concept. It was reasonably powerful
for its size and was extremely expensive, making the M72 LAW tough
competition even for the Wasp 58.
RPG-18 Mukha: Soviet 64 mm disposable anti-tank rocket launcher,
very similar in form and function to the M72 LAW; so much that it
has often been accused of being a "knock-off" of the LAW. Generally
not used in the West, the RPG-18 was nonetheless a fierce competitor
to the Wasp 58 in the Developing World.
Armbrust: This West German disposable anti-tank rocket launcher
not only employs the same type of countermass as the Wasp 58, but
also a self-sealing muzzle and venturi which eliminate most of the
noise of the launch, and almost all of the smoke and flash. It is
more expensive than the Wasp 58, but also more powerful.
AT4-CS: Swedish 84 mm disposable anti-tank recoilless gun,
which uses a saltwater countermass to similar effect of the plastic
chips employed in the Wasp 58. The AT4 is generally twice as
powerful as the Wasp 58, but also much larger and heavier, and many
times as expensive.
RPG-76 Komar: Polish disposable anti-tank rocket launcher,
with a unique configuration. And like the Wasp 58, the RPG-76 was
developed with affordability in mind.
 |
Article by
BLACKTAIL
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