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Poland buys rocket artillery systems from South Korea

19.10.2022 07:30
Poland’s defence minister is set to approve a contract for the purchase of self-propelled multiple rocket launchers from South Korea for the Polish armed forces. 
Polands Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak was on Wednesday set to approve a contract for the purchase of 288 multiple launch rocket systems from South Korea for the Polish armed forces.
Poland’s Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak was on Wednesday set to approve a contract for the purchase of 288 multiple launch rocket systems from South Korea for the Polish armed forces. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Mariusz Błaszczak will sign the deal in Warsaw on Wednesday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

The contract covers the supply of 288 self-propelled multiple rocket launchers, dubbed the K239 Chunmoo, officials said.

Chunmoo rocket artillery systems

Capable of striking targets some 300 kilometres away, the K239 Chunmoo launchers will supplement the HIMARS advanced rocket systems ordered by Poland from the United States, reporters were told.  

The K239 Chunmoo can fire several different guided or unguided artillery rockets; it carries two launch pods that can hold six 239 mm guided rockets with a range of 80 km or one ballistic missile with a range of some 290 km, among other variants, the IAR news agency reported.

The South Korean multiple rocket launchers will be integrated with Polish-made Jelcz chassis and the Topaz combat management system, officials said. 

Polish producers will also supply command vehicles, armoured recovery vehicles, ammunition-supply vehicles and evacuation vehicles, reporters were told.

The first batch of 18 K239 Chunmoo systems is scheduled to be delivered to the Polish army next year, according to officials.   

South Korean weapons for Polish army

The K239 Chunmoo is another piece of South Korean weaponry that will be supplied to the Polish army.

In the summer, Błaszczak, who also serves as a Polish deputy prime minister, signed contracts for the purchase of 1,000 South Korean K2 tanks, most of which will be manufactured in Poland, and 672 South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers, some of which will also be produced in Poland, news outlets reported at the time.

On Wednesday, South Korean contractors were set to hand over the first batches of the K2 tanks and the K9 self-propelled howitzers to Poland’s military, according to the IAR news agency.    

These moves come as Poland seeks to expand its armed forces amid Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, officials said. 

Wednesday is day 238 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

(pm/gs)

Source: IAR, gov.pl, wp.pl, armyrecognition.com