Poland buys 288 K239 Chunmoo launchers from South Korea

On Wednesday (October 19), in Warsaw - in the presence of Deputy Minister of Defense for Force and Resource Management of the Republic of Korea Dongjoon Yoo Lim, and Deputy Minister of the Defense Purchase Planning Agency Il Sung - the head of the Polish Ministry of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak approved a framework agreement for the delivery of 288 cutting-edge Korean K239 Chunmoo launchers to the Polish Armed Forces.

"In 2019, an agreement with the United States to acquire the HIMARS sets for the Polish Armed Forces was signed. The shipment of this equipment is scheduled for the next year. We submitted an inquiry for larger deliveries, but unfortunately due to limited industrial capabilities, it will not be possible for the equipment to be delivered in a satisfactory timeframe. Therefore, we started talks with South Korea - our proven partner. The discussion resulted in the signing of a framework contract for the acquisition of the K239 Chunmoo," Błaszczak said during the official ceremony.

The K239 Chunmoo is a self-propelled wheeled multi-missile launcher capable of firing various calibers of shells. It carries two missile containers, each of which can contain up to six 239 mm guided missiles with a range of approximately 80 km or one ballistic missile with a range of approximately 290 km. The weapons are made by Hanwha Defense, the defence unit of South Korea's Hanwha Corporation.

"Chunmoo, in terms of characteristics, is very similar to the HIMARS. It is an excellent weapon. I believe that the fact that the first Chunmoo sets will be delivered to Poland as early as next year is the best and most tangible achievement of the joint Polish-Korean efforts. The next success is that Chunmoos will be mounted on Jelcz trucks, built by the Polish Armaments Group. The sets will be equipped with Polish means of communication and the battlefield management system. Thanks to that, the full operability of the equipment will be achieved as early as next year, so almost immediately upon their delivery," Poland's Defence Minister explained.

He also informed that the new equipment will be in the inventory of the 18th Mechanized "Iron" Division.

"18 launchers, coming to Poland next year, will be delivered to the 18th Mechanized Division. They will serve the protection of NATO’s eastern flank, thus the safety of eastern Poland. It will be an appropriate response to the threats against our security. The goal is to effectively scare the aggressor, to show our strength so that the aggressor does not dare to attack Poland nor any countries of the North Atlantic Alliance," Błaszczak stressed.

The contract for the K239 Chunmoo launchers, along with the Korean defense technologies transfer, is another enhancement of the Polish Armed Forces. The two countries signed a $5.8 billion contract in Warsaw in July in a deal that Poland said was a key part of its effort to beef up its military after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On Wednesday, South Korea sent the first K2 tanks and K9 howitzers ordered by Poland under the framework contracts of July 27 and implementing contracts of August 26.

Hyundai Rotem said its first shipment included 10 K2 Black Panther tanks of the 180 to be delivered by 2025. Hanwha Defense said it was sending 24 K9 self-propelled howitzers, among 212 to be shipped by 2026.

Poland has also agreed to buy 48 FA-50 fighter jets from South Korea. Polish defence minister said in a media interview in July the aircraft would be delivered next year.

The Feb. 24 invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation", has raised security fears among many former eastern bloc countries. NATO member Poland has vowed to boost defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product and to more than double the size of its army.