Poland Borong Hundreds Of Double Rocket Launches K239 Chunmoo From South Korea

South Korea's K239 Chunmoo rocket launcher. (Twitter/@RyszardJonski)

JAKARTA - Poland will buy nearly 300 twin K239 Chunmoo rocket launchers from Korea, with the delivery of the weapons system set to be made next year, according to Polish media outlets.

In a media interview on October 14, Polish Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said negotiations between Poland and South Korea had been completed, with the contract to be signed during his visit to South Korea.

"This is a very good artillery weapon and based on our observations of the war in Ukraine, we can clearly see how much artillery gain can be created on the battlefield," Blaszczak was quoted as saying in an interview with local news website I.PL, cited from the Korea Times Oct. 17.

His remarks came after Ukraine was able to change the direction of the war against Russia, following the use of the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket or HIMARS system in late June and early July. Missiles have been used to achieve Russian targets, such as bridges occupied by Russia during wars and command posts.

Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party, which has been in power since fall 2015, has strengthened the country's armed forces in responding to Russia's policies and actions.

The dual rocket launcher K239 Chunmoo was jointly developed between Hanwha Corporation which developed the rocket, while the launcher was carried out by Doosan.

Chunmoo is a multi-caliber rocket system and rockets can be fired from the same platform, but have different ranges.

Last year, the Polish government announced plans to buy 500 HIMARS launchers from the United States. But the plan has been adjusted since then.

"We are aware that we will not receive all 500 HIMARS launchers, which we have sent a letter requesting, within a time limit that will be satisfactory for us," said Polish Defense Minister, so the country decided to buy HIMARS and Chunmoo.

The news comes months after the two countries agreed on a $5.8 billion contract in August for the Hyundai Rotem selling tanks and the Hanwha Defense that provided howitzers to Poland.