Hanwha Defense Signs Export Contract for Chunmoo with Poland This Week

Cheonmu is a new type of multiple launch rocket system with a maximum range of 80 km. It has more than twice the range and greater destructive power compared to the current main multiple launcher, Guryong. (Photo by Ministry of National Defense)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Approximately 300 units of the domestically produced ‘Cheonmu’ multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) will be exported to Poland. The export scale amounts to $6.1 billion (about 8.8 trillion KRW), marking a large-scale export following the approximately 25 trillion KRW worth of K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, and FA-50 light attack aircraft.

On the 17th, a government official stated, “The export scale of the Cheonmu MLRS includes 288 launch vehicles and 23,000 rounds of ammunition, and a framework contract with Poland will be signed on the 19th Korea time.”

The Cheonmu launch vehicles are manufactured by Hanwha Defense, while the multiple launch rockets and missiles are produced by Hanwha Corporation. The companies plan to sign the first executive contract next month to finalize the quantities, amounts, and delivery schedules of the export equipment. A second executive contract is planned for December. Poland’s first Cheonmu unit is expected to be deployed as early as 2023.

Cheonmu is regarded as a more powerful weapon than the U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS, which is currently conducting precision strikes against Russian forces in the Ukraine war.

Mariusz Błaszczak, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, also said in an interview with local media on the 14th, “Cheonmu is a weapon with the highest quality and efficiency,” adding, “Cheonmu not only has functions similar to the U.S. HIMARS MLRS but can also strike targets up to 300 km away, which will help strengthen our defense capabilities.”

Cheonmu is a domestically produced MLRS developed with a budget of about 130 billion KRW from 2009 to 2013 and has been deployed in the field since 2015. The name Cheonmu, written in Hanja as ‘Heaven 천 (Cheon), Dense 무 (Mu),’ means ‘covering the sky with multiple launch rockets.’ It can fire three types of rockets: 130mm old-type ‘Guryong’ unguided multiple launch rockets, 230mm unguided rockets, and 239mm guided rockets. Especially when using cluster munitions, 300 submunitions are dispersed in the air, capable of devastating an area approximately three times the size of a soccer field.

Each Cheonmu launch vehicle carries 12 rockets, boasting twice the firepower of the U.S.-made HIMARS, which carries only 6 rockets per vehicle. The U.S. HIMARS, active in the Ukraine war, can fire guided rockets to precisely strike targets about 70 km away. Cheonmu’s firepower is about twice as strong as HIMARS. Regarding surface-to-surface missiles, HIMARS carries only one ATACMS missile with a range of 300 km, whereas Cheonmu carries two surface-to-surface missiles with the same range.

An industry official said, “Cheonmu is currently developing a new long-range guided rocket with a maximum range extended to 200 km, so if deployed in Poland, it will have sufficient military deterrence.”