WARSAW, Poland — The Croatian government has approved the acquisition of 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. Croatia is joining other European countries that have also ordered the weapon which is considered an alternative to Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS.
“Due to the relatively short delivery times of 24 to 36 months, better availability, lower prices, openness to industrial cooperation, the European countries Poland, Estonia and the Kingdom of Norway are increasingly deciding to equip themselves with this unique system,” said Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić, as quoted in a statement released by the country’s government.
The procurement is worth around €544.1 million ($631.9 million). Deliveries to the Croatian military are scheduled for the years 2026 to 2029, according to the statement. Hanwha Aerospace is to supply launchers, ammunition and accompanying equipment to Croatia. The company’s Polish partner, WB Group, will deliver a command-and-control system to connect all components into a single operational unit.
Under the plan, the South Korean launchers are to replace the Croatian Army’s outdated Yugoslavia-made M-92 Vulkan and Soviet-designed GRAD BM-21 systems.
Anušić said that, alongside the nation’s 2021 purchase of 12 second-hand Dassault Rafale F3-R fighter jets from France, the acquisition marks one of the most important military procurement since the end of Croatia’s independence war in 1995.
In December 2024, the Croatian government approved the purchase of eight HIMARS launchers from the United States under a contract worth around $351 million.
In the aftermath of the Iran war, the U.S. government has flagged possible delays in deliveries of military gear, including HIMARS ammunition, to a number of countries in the region, triggering concern in capitals on NATO’s eastern flank.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
