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| South Korea And Poland Sign $6 Billion Contract For 288 Units K239 Chunmoo MLRS |
Warsaw - South Korean defense company Hanwha Defense will begin supplying its K239 Chunmoo multi-barreled rocket launcher system (MLRS) to Poland from early next year. The purchase contract was signed by South Korea and Poland on October 19, 2022 with a value of US$6 billion for 288 K239 Chunmoo units.
Initially, Poland intended to acquire M142 HIMARS in large quantities. However, the US government was unable to supply it in a timeframe suitable for Poland, so it chose the K239 Chunmoo as an alternative. The Polish version of the K239 Chunmoo will use a locally made Jelcz 8X8 truck chassis and a Polish TOPAZ fire control system.
Regarding the K239 Chunmoo or K-MLRS (Korean Multiple Launch Rocket System), the project was started by Hanwha Defense in 2009 and completed late 2013. The K239 Chunmoo was developed to replace the role of the aging K136 Kooryong MLRS, with the South Korean Army officially being the first user in August 2015.
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| South Korea's K239 Chunmoo Multiple Rocket Launcher System (MLRS) |
For specifications, the K239 Chunmoo has a weight range of 25 tons. It is 9 m long, 2.5 m wide and 3 m high. To operate it requires a crew of three. For weapons, the K239 Chunmoo is equipped with a weapons rack with a choice of 130 mm caliber rockets (20 rockets) then 227 mm (12) and 239 mm (12). Its effective firing range is 36 km with 130 mm rockets, 45 km with 227 mm rockets and 80 km with 239 mm guided rockets. With a guidance system in the form of Inertia plus GPS.
Before Poland, the first foreign country to use the K239 Chunmoo was the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 12 systems. South Korea has also offered it to the Australian Military.