The LAROM is a Romanian native-made, highly mobile, multiple rocket launcher, in service with the Romanian Land Forces, built in collaboration with Israel. It was influenced by the BM-21 Grad 122 mm multiple rocket launcher (MRL) system which entered service with the Soviet Army in 1963 also utilizing a six-by-six truck chassis fitted with a bank of 40 122mm launch tubes arranged in a rectangular shape that can be turned away from the unprotected cabin.
== Armament == The LAROM standard launch pod containers hold 20 GRAD (122 mm) rockets or 13 LAR Mk. IV (160 mm) rockets, with two pods on a launcher. The GRAD 122 mm rocket is utilised to suppress and annihilate concentrated targets. It has an 18 kg high-explosive warhead, a range of approximately 20 km and can be fired in salvos of up to 2 rounds per second. The LAR Mk. IV 160 mm rockets employ composite solid propellants. The rocket is spin-stabilizing in flight via wraparound stabilizing fins deployed upon rocket exiting launcher. The Mk IV rocket is capable of taking various warheads and commonly fitted with either a HE-COFRAM type or a Cluster munition warhead. The cluster warhead operates by a remotely set electronic time-fuse which opens the bomblet canister at the calculated height to give area coverage of about 31,400 m2 for each cluster warhead. The LAR Mk IV has a minimum range of 10 km and maximum range of 45 km and can be fired in salvos of up to 1 round every 1.8 seconds.
== Operators == Romania − 54 modernized systems in service, all operated by the 8th Mixed Artillery Brigade.
Gallery
== See also == LAR-160 – (Israel) BM-21 Grad – (Soviet Union) RM-70 multiple rocket launcher – (Czechoslovakia) M-77 Oganj – (Yugoslavia) T-122 Sakarya – (Turkey)
References
== External links == LAROM's description on Romanian Ministry of Defense official website