Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher. /Hanwha Aerospace
Hanwha Aerospace (012450) is entering Croatia’s defense market for the first time with an export deal for its Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system.
The company is set to sign the export contract with Croatia on the 8th, according to industry sources on the 4th. The deal is valued at 435.2 million euros, or about 686 billion won, covering 18 launchers along with guided rockets. Deliveries will take place over two years beginning in 2028.
Chunmoo is a domestically developed multiple rocket launcher with a maximum range of 450 kilometers. Deployed with South Korea’s military in 2015, it was designed to counter North Korean multiple rocket launchers and artillery rockets. It can fire a range of munitions, including 239-millimeter guided rockets with a range of 80 kilometers and 230-millimeter unguided rockets capable of devastating an area the size of three soccer fields. The launcher can travel at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour and is equipped with protection against chemical, biological and radiological attacks.
Croatia’s decision to adopt Chunmoo, nicknamed “steel rain,” reflects a push to modernize its military. Security concerns have grown amid the war between Russia and Ukraine and tensions with neighboring Serbia. Croatia spent 1.8 billion euros, or about 2.84 trillion won, on defense last year, equal to 2.01% of gross domestic product, and plans to raise that share in stages to 2.5% in 2027, 3% in 2030 and 5% in 2032. This year it also reinstated military conscription, which had been abolished in 2008, after an 18-year gap.
Industry officials expect Croatia to use Chunmoo to replace aging artillery assets, including Soviet-era 122-millimeter multiple rocket launchers such as the Vulkan M92 and the Grad BM-21.
The deal marks Hanwha Aerospace’s first entry into Croatia’s defense market. Croatia will also become the fourth European country to operate Chunmoo, after Poland, Estonia and Norway.
Croatia is separately considering the purchase of Cheongung-II, a South Korean medium-range surface-to-air missile system. Local interest grew after the United Arab Emirates used Cheongung-II to intercept a large number of Iranian missiles during the conflict in the Middle East. Croatia is said to be in talks with LIG Defense & Aerospace over the system.