Croatia to acquire South Korean Chunmoo K239 strategic rocket system

Croatia is buying 18 South Korean Chunmoo K239 launchers in a €435.2 million deal, excluding value-added tax, giving its armed forces a long-range strike system described as strategic weaponry.

The Croatian government announced the purchase unexpectedly. Most of the launchers and their missiles are due to arrive in 2028, with a smaller portion scheduled for 2029. The system will allow Croatia to target high-value tactical and strategic positions deep inside a potential adversary’s territory.

The Chunmoo can use rockets ranging from 239 mm to 607 mm and cover targets 30 to 300 kilometers away, as well as targets beyond 300 kilometers. The article characterizes the longer-range missiles as ballistic missiles, describing vertical launches, flight into the stratosphere and re-entry at speeds of about Mach 5 before striking their targets.

The purchase gives Croatia two comparable but distinct multiple-launch rocket systems. It ordered eight U.S. HIMARS launchers several years ago, along with hundreds of missiles with an 80-kilometer range. However, the article says Lockheed Martin is overloaded with orders and no longer supplies missiles with ranges up to 300 kilometers. Congress has also barred exports of missiles with ranges beyond 300 kilometers, including versions estimated to reach 500 kilometers.

The South Korean manufacturer Hanwha Aerospace can promise initial deliveries within two years because it has greater production capacity. The Chunmoo is also cheaper than HIMARS, and South Korea does not impose the same export restriction on its long-range missiles.

Poland, Estonia and Norway have also ordered the system. Poland has ordered 289 launchers and received about half, while Estonia ordered six plus three launchers for delivery in 2027. Norway ordered 16 launchers and a large number of missiles in a deal worth $1.9 billion. The system’s Korean name is translated as “Heavenly Dance” or “Dance from the Sky.”