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Reader Shawna asks, "What's a lars?"

A LARS is a Light Artillery Rocket System, which began service with the German Army in 1970. It has been almost entirely phased out there, but is currently being used by Greece, Portugal, and Turkey.

The LARS has an 18-barrel launcher attached to a standard 6x6 military truck. The launcher is operated from inside the vehicle cab, but not before the two rear stabilizing jacks are lowered to the ground. The loaded launcher weighs 17.2 tons.

The rocket has a solid fuel motor, and the standard warhead is a high explosive-fragmentation type. The rockets measure 7.42 feet and weigh 77.16 pounds. The warheads weigh 38.14 pounds. The maximum velocity of the rockets is 2100 feet per second, with a maximum range of 15,310 yards.

Do you have a question for me? You can e-mail it. If I know the answer, I'll answer it. If I don't, I might make something up.

Posted by Jennifer at October 9, 2003 12:01 AM

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