The Polish Defence Ministry has signed a new $1.6 billion order for to acquisition of 72 K239 Chunmoo Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems, following a prior order for the systems in October 2022. The new contract, signed with South Korea’s largest defence manufacturer Hanwha Aerospace, also includes stipulations for technology transfers. The first contract, signed 18 months prior, was significantly larger and involved the purchase of 288 launchers for $6 billion, the first 18 of which were delivered in 2023. The order included the provision of both 239mm and 600mm artillery rockets, although the system is also capable of deploying 131mm, 230mm and 400mm rounds.
Beyond the Korean system, the Polish government in September 2023 approved plans for the acquisition of 486 American HIMARS rocket artillery systems, which will be mounted on Polish made Jelcz 6X6 trucks as part of a joint project with America’s largest defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin. These acquisitions will provide the country with one of the largest guided rocket artillery forces outside East Asia, with China and the Koreas still leading, although significant expansion of the Russian arsenal means the Polish Army’s inventory is still not likely to become the largest in Eastern Europe. The acquisitions have highlighted South Korean industry’s ability to re-arm countries with state of the art equipment far faster than Western defence sectors can, reflecting the broader health of the East Asian state’s industrial base.
Poland emerged in 2022 as the leading foreign client for South Korean military equipment, and that year placed orders for the acquisition of K2 tanks, K9 artillery and F-50 lightweight fighters preceding its order for rocket artillery systems. As part of its ambitions for a greater military standing in Europe, Warsaw has notably pushed for wartime access to American nuclear weapons under a nuclear sharing agreement similar to those Washington currently has with Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey. The country’s neighbour Belarus notably entered a nuclear sharing agreement with Russia in June 2023, and currently deploys by far Europe’s longest ranged rocket artillery system the Polonez-M which was jointly developed and produced in the country with significant Chinese support.