1)On the starting date for the LAROM. My bad, it actually seems to be 2005,not 2002.
I found this local news article about the DEMEX '05 exercise.
http://www.sibiul.ro/download-pdf/st...-2005_5948.pdf
"Divizionul 83 LAROM, din cadrul Brigazii 8 Artilerie
Mixta -Barlad" .
That's the 83rd LAROM Battalion from the 8th Mixed Artillery Brigade.
Also, I found an online PDF version of military appropriations bill from March 2005.
http://www.dpa.ro/rp/publicatii/buletine/bc2005_1.pdf
It's in Romanian, but in row 8 of the table you can clearly read : "Lansator LAROM 160". It's pretty self-explainatory even if your Romanian is a bit rusty.
On the 5th column you can see the purchase period : between 2004 and 2010.
Finally, I found a short communique in English on the Romanian govt site about the DEMEX '05 exercise :
http://www.gov.ro/demex-05-distingui..._l2a75097.html
"It is mainly about the Infantry Combat Vehicle MLI-84 „JDERUL”, tank TR-85-M1 „BIZONUL”, ground artillery system
LAROM, air defence artillery systems Oerlikon and Gepard. The Air Forces will participate in the exercise with two MIG-21 LanceR aircraft and four helicopters IAR 330 PUMA SOCAT."
Emphasis mine.
March 2005 sound ok?
2) Whoa! I googled that phrase about the 152mm CM round and I actually have to go back on my request about no Soviet RBK-250 cluster bombs in Romanian service.
A Red Cross region factsheet on Cluster Munitions in Eastern Europe from 2008 :
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/48d748f723.pdf
Listed for Romania :
- CG-540(ER)
- CL-250/RBK (nullifies my proposed changes to Aero Lancers)
- MK IV LAR-160 rocket
- KMG-U Dispenser
Although for the CG-540 there seems to be some confusion. The CG-540 rounds seems to be a simple HE round according to the manufacturer's website :
http://www.romarm.ro/files/AA_ammo_b...ion_1_jpeg.jpg
I couldn't find any link between the CG-540 and the GAA-001 bomblets (purportedly identical to Israeli M85 submunitions), I'll have to ask in a Romanian forum about that.
Still, the reference to the CG-540 is described in the footnote as "Jane's Ammunition Handbook 2001-2002", so I guess 2001 would be a ballpark date.
I will ask around,though, and get back on this one.