Non-availability of HIMARS Forced Poland to Buy S Korean K239 Chunmoo Rocket Launchers

Non-avaiability of an additional batch of US-made HIMARS artillery forced Poland to strike a deal with South Korea to buy its K239 Chunmoo rocket launchers.
“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,” said Polish Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak during the agreement signing ceremony on October 19 in Warsaw.
The agreement paved the way for the delivery of 288 cutting-edge Korean K239 Chunmoo launchers to the Polish Armed Forces.
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 head of the Ministry of National Defense emphasized that the capabilities of K239 Chunmoo are comparable to the previously ordered HIMARS sets.
“Chunmoo, in terms of characteristics, is very similar to the HIMARS. 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-made communication equipment and 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”
Regarding their deployment he said, “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."