Croatia buys South Korean rocket artillery after HIMARS purchase from the US — SkimNews
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- Croatia approved acquiring 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers from South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace in a deal worth approximately €544.1 million ($631.9 million).
- Deputy Prime Minister Ivan Anušić cited 24-36 month delivery times, better availability, lower prices, and openness to industrial cooperation as reasons for choosing Chunmoo, noting that Poland, Estonia, and Norway have made similar procurement decisions.
- Hanwha Aerospace will supply launchers, ammunition, and accompanying equipment, with Polish partner WB Group delivering the command-and-control system; deliveries to the Croatian military are scheduled for 2026-2029.
- Croatian Army will deploy the Chunmoo launchers to replace its aging Yugoslav-made M-92 Vulkan and Soviet-designed GRAD BM-21 systems.
- Anušić called the Chunmoo deal, alongside the 2021 purchase of 12 second-hand Dassault Rafale F3-R jets from France, one of the most significant military procurements since Croatia's 1995 independence war.
- Croatia approved purchasing 8 HIMARS launchers from the United States in December 2024 for approximately $351 million, and in the aftermath of the Iran war, the US has flagged possible delays in HIMARS ammunition deliveries to the region, triggering concern among NATO's eastern-flank allies.
Why it matters: Croatia is now buying both HIMARS from the US and Chunmoo from South Korea, but the US has flagged possible HIMARS ammunition delays tied to the Iran war aftermath — meaning smaller NATO allies may increasingly favor non-US suppliers when delivery reliability is at stake. Hanwha has now secured Chunmoo contracts across Croatia, Poland, Estonia, and Norway, shifting European rocket-artillery market share away from Lockheed Martin.
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