Artillery

APR-40

Also known as
  • APRA-40
  • APR 40
  • APRA 40
  • 40 APRA 122 FMC
  • Romanian Grad
  • Romanian APR-40 MLRS

The APR-40 is a Romanian 122 mm multiple rocket launcher derived from the BM-21 Grad family and associated with Aerostar production and upgrade work. It carries a 40-tube launcher on Romanian DAC truck chassis variants, fires Grad-compatible 122 mm rockets, and has been documented in Ukrainian service after Croatia and Romania supplied systems during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

APR-40, 122 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher, Artillery
Image source: Wikimedia Commons APR-40 Croatian Army Image

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Romania; Ukrainian examples transferred by Croatia and Romania
Built in
Romania
Type
122 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher
Service note
Cold War Romanian Grad derivative documented in Ukrainian service during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Designer
Aerostar S.A.
Designed
Late Cold War Romanian development; entered service in the late 1980s in several defense-reference accounts
Produced
1970s-1980s production and later APRA-40 FMC modernization reported in open sources
Number built
Weapons Parade reports more than 400 produced across APRA-40 configurations
Developed from
BM-21 Grad and earlier Romanian APR-21 rocket-launcher work

Specifications

Caliber
122 mm Grad-compatible rockets
Launcher
40 launch tubes
Chassis
Romanian DAC 665T or DAC 15.215 DFAEG 6x6 truck chassis reported for APR/APRA-40 variants
Crew
5 in Weapons Parade data; Army Recognition gives a four-to-six-person operating range
Combat weight
13,700 kg in Weapons Parade data
Dimensions
7.57 m length, 2.40 m width, 3.25 m height in Weapons Parade data
Engine
HMN 2156 D.8 diesel rated at 215 hp in Weapons Parade data
Road speed
85 km/h in Weapons Parade data
Road range
800 km in Weapons Parade data
Rocket range
20.5 km in NV reporting; about 12.70-20.40 km in Weapons Parade data; some defense reporting gives 20-40 km depending on rocket type
Full salvo
40 rockets in about 30 seconds in NV and Weapons Parade reporting
Fire control
Firing controlled from the vehicle cab or remotely in NV reporting; Defense Express describes hydraulic rocket-pack drive and Romanian-language controls
Variants

APR-40 naming is used in English-language conflict reporting, while APRA-40 and 40 APRA 122 FMC appear in Romanian and Grad-family reference sources for related Romanian 40-tube launchers.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
APRA-40 / 40 APRA 122 FMCImproved Romanian 40-tube configuration

Grad-family reference material describes the APRA-40 or 40 APRA 122 FMC as a slightly improved Romanian model based on the DAC 15.215 DFAEG truck.

Sources: BM-21 Grad Reference

LAROM 160Israeli-Romanian modernization path

Grad-family reference material treats LAROM 160 as a later Romanian-Israeli modernization using DAC 25.360 chassis and modular 122 mm or 160 mm rocket packs rather than a basic APR-40 launcher.

Sources: BM-21 Grad Reference

Grad-Family Lineage

The APR-40 keeps the 40-tube 122 mm launcher pattern of the BM-21 Grad family while moving the Romanian launcher onto local DAC truck chassis and using Romanian control and drive arrangements.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
BM-21 Grad, 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, ArtilleryBM-21 Grad122 mm Grad-family launcher

NV and Defense Express both describe the APR-40 as a licensed Romanian copy or derivative of the BM-21 Grad family, while Defense Express notes operating differences such as hydraulic traverse and Romanian-language controls.

Sources: NV APR-40 Ukraine Report, Defense Express APR-40 Ukraine Service

Ammunition Fired

Public conflict reporting describes the APR-40 as firing Soviet-type or Grad-compatible 122 mm rockets rather than a unique Romanian-only munition.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
9M22U / M-21OF Grad rocket, 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation rocket, Munitions9M22U / M-21OF Grad rocket122 mm Grad rocket family

NV reports a maximum APR-40 rocket range of 20.5 km and describes the launcher as able to fire single shots or salvoes from its DAC 665T chassis.

Sources: NV APR-40 Ukraine Report

Launcher Layout

The APR-40 keeps the Grad-family 40-tube 122 mm launcher but differs from Soviet BM-21 vehicles in crew-facing details. Ukrainian operating reports describe side-mounted aiming equipment, a hydraulic rocket-pack drive, Romanian-language controls, and a rear launch-pack cover that maintenance crews must account for in the field.

Launcher pack

Forty 122 mm tubes, with full-salvo timing reported around 30 seconds in Ukrainian and reference reporting.

Truck base

DAC 665T or DAC 15.215 DFAEG 6x6 trucks are the recurring Romanian chassis references.

Field support limit

Defense Express reported that Ukrainian mechanics had to manage spare-parts and reliability issues because the original Romanian production plant was no longer operating.

Timeline

APR-40 Key Events

  1. APRA-40 service entry reported

    Weapons Parade lists 1985 as the APRA-40 service-entry year and identifies Romania as the country of origin.

    Sources: Weapons Parade APRA-40 Profile

  2. Romanian APRA-40 FMC modernization completed

    Romanian-language reference material says Romania brought APRA-40 Model 1978 launchers to the APRA-40 FMC standard by the end of 1988 at Aerostar Bacau.

    Sources: Romanian APRA-40 Reference

  3. APR-40 transfer to Ukraine reported

    Army Recognition reported that Ukrainian forces had received Romanian-made APR-40 122 mm multiple rocket launchers from Croatia.

    Sources: Army Recognition APR-40 Ukraine Transfer

  4. Ukrainian operating experience described

    Defense Express reported that Army TV footage showed an APR-40 produced in 1986 and delivered to Ukraine's 116th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

    Sources: Defense Express APR-40 Ukraine Service

Media

APR-40 Images

APR-40, 122 mm self-propelled multiple rocket launcher, Artillery - view 1
Source: Wikimedia Commons APR-40 Museum Image
Related Weapon Systems
RM-70 Vampire, 122 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket system, ArtilleryArtilleryRM-70 Vampire122 mm self-propelled multiple launch rocket systemThe RM-70 Vampire is a Czech modernization of the Czechoslovak RM-70 Grad-family multiple launch rocket system, pairing a forty-tube 122 mm launcher with a Tatra 815-7 8x8 chassis, protected cab, digital fire-control equipment, and a carried reload pack. Czech government reporting and frontline media document the system in Ukrainian service during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, where it provides mobile area-fire and counter-battery rocket artillery.

Sources

NV APR-40 Ukraine ReportPublisher: The New Voice of Ukraine | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use: Ukrainian artillerymen received and operated Romanian APR-40 multiple rocket launchers; also supports Aerostar attribution, DAC 665T chassis, single-shot/salvo firing, 30-second salvo, and 20.5 km range. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Defense Express APR-40 Ukraine ServicePublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use: confirms transfer of APR-40 launchers to Ukraine and describes a 1986-built vehicle delivered to Ukraine's 116th Separate Mechanized Brigade; also supports launcher-drive, aiming, controls, DAC-665 mobility, and maintenance context. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Army Recognition APR-40 Ukraine TransferPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use: reports Ukrainian forces receiving Romanian-made APR-40 122 mm MLRS from Croatia; also supports Romanian development, APR-21 and BM-21 Grad lineage, late-1980s service context, launcher role, crew range, and 122 mm rocket range estimates. | Accessed: 2026-07-05TurDef APR-40 Ukraine TransferPublisher: TurDef | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct conflict use: reports Croatia donated APR-40 multiple rocket launchers to Ukraine; also supports Romanian development, late-1980s service context, 40-rocket salvo, indirect fire-support role, and 20-40 km rocket range depending on ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Weapons Parade APRA-40 ProfilePublisher: Weapons Parade | Note: Supports APRA-40 specifications, Romanian origin, Aerostar-Brasov builder attribution, service-entry year, crew, weight, dimensions, engine, speed, road range, armament, salvo timing, rocket range, warhead, and production total. | Accessed: 2026-07-05BM-21 Grad ReferencePublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Baseline reference for Grad-family terminology and leads; supports APRA-40, 40 APRA 122 FMC, LAROM, DAC chassis, resupply-truck, and listed operator context only where corroborated by stronger sources. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Romanian APRA-40 ReferencePublisher: Wikipedia Romania | Note: Baseline Romanian-language reference for APRA-40 terminology and the reported APRA-40 FMC modernization at Aerostar Bacau; used as a lead and designation context source. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Wikimedia Commons APR-40 Croatian Army ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Primary image provenance; Wikimedia Commons lists the photo as own work by Franjo Tahy and released under CC0 1.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-05Wikimedia Commons APR-40 Museum ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Gallery image provenance; Wikimedia Commons describes the image as an APR-40 on a local DAC-665T truck at Beyt ha-Totchan and lists GFDL, CC BY-SA 3.0, and CC BY 2.5 licensing options. | Accessed: 2026-07-05