Croatia buys South Korean rocket artillery after HIMARS purchase from the US

WARSAW, Poland — The Croatian government has approved the acquisition of 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. Croatia is joining other European countries that have also ordered the weapon which is considered an alternative to Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS.

“Due to the relatively short delivery times of 24 to 36 months, better availability, lower prices, openness to industrial cooperation, the European countries Poland, Estonia and the Kingdom of Norway are increasingly deciding to equip themselves with this unique system,” said Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ivan Anušić, as quoted in a statement released by the country’s government.

The procurement is worth around €544.1 million ($631.9 million). Deliveries to the Croatian military are scheduled for the years 2026 to 2029, according to the statement. Hanwha Aerospace is to supply launchers, ammunition and accompanying equipment to Croatia. The company’s Polish partner, WB Group, will deliver a command-and-control system to connect all components into a single operational unit.

Under the plan, the South Korean launchers are to replace the Croatian Army’s outdated Yugoslavia-made M-92 Vulkan and Soviet-designed GRAD BM-21 systems.

Anušić said that, alongside the nation’s 2021 purchase of 12 second-hand Dassault Rafale F3-R fighter jets from France, the acquisition marks one of the most important military procurement since the end of Croatia’s independence war in 1995.

In December 2024, the Croatian government approved the purchase of eight HIMARS launchers from the United States under a contract worth around $351 million.

In the aftermath of the Iran war, the U.S. government has flagged possible delays in deliveries of military gear, including HIMARS ammunition, to a number of countries in the region, triggering concern in capitals on NATO’s eastern flank.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——克罗地亚政府已批准从韩国韩华航天公司采购18套K239“天武”多管火箭炮系统。克罗地亚加入了其他已订购该武器的欧洲国家的行列，该武器被认为是洛克希德·马丁公司M142高机动性火箭炮系统（HIMARS）的替代方案。

克罗地亚政府发表声明援引克罗地亚副总理兼国防部长伊万·阿努希奇的话说：“由于交货时间相对较短（24 至 36 个月），供应更充足，价格更低，并且对工业合作持开放态度，波兰、爱沙尼亚和挪威王国等欧洲国家正越来越多地决定采用这种独特的系统。”

此次采购价值约5.441亿欧元（约合6.319亿美元）。声明称，交付给克罗地亚军方的装备计划于2026年至2029年间进行。韩华宇航公司将向克罗地亚提供发射器、弹药及配套设备。该公司的波兰合作伙伴WB集团将提供一套指挥控制系统，用于将所有组件连接成一个统一的作战单元。

根据该计划，韩国的发射器将取代克罗地亚军队过时的南斯拉夫制造的 M-92 Vulkan 和苏联设计的 GRAD BM-21 系统。

阿努希奇表示，加上克罗地亚在 2021 年从法国购买了 12 架二手达索阵风 F3-R 战斗机，此次采购标志着自 1995 年克罗地亚独立战争结束以来最重要的军事采购之一。

2024 年 12 月，克罗地亚政府批准从美国购买 8 套 HIMARS 火箭发射器，合同价值约 3.51 亿美元。

伊朗战争结束后，美国政府表示，向该地区一些国家交付军事装备（包括HIMARS弹药）可能会出现延误，这引起了北约东翼各国首都的担忧。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。