Hanwha Aerospace signed a 411.8 million euro ($478 million) contract with the Croatian Ministry of Defence on Thursday to supply 18 Chunmoo launchers, ammunition carriers, fire direction command vehicles and integrated logistics support.
The package includes multiple types of precision-guided rockets for short-, medium- and long-range missions, as well as training and lifecycle support. Deliveries are scheduled to continue through 2030.
The deal makes Croatia the fourth European country to select Chunmoo after Poland, Estonia and Norway, further expanding the South Korean system’s presence in a European market seeking to rebuild artillery and long-range strike capabilities.
The Croatian government approved the HIMARS procurement in December 2024 after receiving a U.S. letter of offer and acceptance worth about $290 million before value-added tax. The U.S. State Department had earlier approved a possible package of eight launchers and associated weapons and support worth up to $390 million.
“Chunmoo complements the contracted HIMARS systems, increases the Croatian Armed Forces’ range and firepower, diversifies supply routes and further strengthens deterrence,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said.
The decision suggests that Zagreb does not see Chunmoo simply as a cheaper competitor to HIMARS, but as an additional layer in its long-range precision-strike arsenal.
The procurement also sits within a broader military buildup in the Western Balkans that began well before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but has accelerated as the war reshaped European defense planning.
Serbia emerged as the region’s early mover, stepping up modernization from around 2015 and investing in combat aircraft, air defense, armored vehicles, drones and electronic warfare. Unlike NATO members in the region, whose modernization is shaped largely by alliance requirements and interoperability, Belgrade has pursued a more autonomous strategy built around diversified suppliers, including Russia, China, France and Israel.
Croatia has followed a different path. As a NATO and European Union member, its modernization remains anchored in Western systems and alliance standards, but force planning has also increasingly reflected Serbia’s expanding air, missile and armored capabilities. Zagreb has acquired Rafale fighters, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and Black Hawk helicopters and has ordered Leopard two tanks, Bayraktar drones and HIMARS alongside Chunmoo.
The result is not an imminent return to the conflicts of the 1990s, but an increasingly complex regional security environment in which modernization by one state can alter the calculations of its neighbors. For Croatia, operating both HIMARS and Chunmoo therefore adds not only firepower but also flexibility and redundancy as the regional military balance shifts.
HIMARS, by comparison, carries a single pod containing six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, or other compatible longer-range missiles depending on configuration.
Croatia’s defense ministry has cited NATO compatibility, price, firepower and a relatively short delivery schedule among the reasons for choosing Chunmoo, with the full package expected to be delivered within 24 to 36 months.
“It was chosen because it is compatible with NATO standards, affordable, much more lethal and meets all our needs,” Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anušić said in an interview with Croatian public broadcaster HRT.
The ability to deliver weapons quickly has become an increasingly important factor in Europe, where countries are racing to rebuild inventories and expand long-range strike capacity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Hanwha’s ability to supply systems quickly is becoming a competitive advantage as Europe’s rearmament demand translates into actual force acquisition,” Kang Tae-ho, a defense analyst at DS Investment & Securities, said.
Europe’s experience since the war in Ukraine has also highlighted the importance of securing access to ammunition and reducing dependence on overseas supply chains.
DS Investment & Securities pointed to Hanwha’s push with Poland’s WB Group to establish local production of 80-kilometer-class guided rockets as another factor strengthening Chunmoo’s position in Europe.
Hanwha and WB Group agreed in 2024 to pursue a joint venture for local production of CGR-80 guided missiles in Poland. Hanwha has already sold Poland 290 Chunmoo launchers along with 80-kilometer and 290-kilometer-range guided missiles.
“Securing an ammunition production base in Europe is an important factor in easing concerns over ammunition sovereignty and strengthening Chunmoo’s export competitiveness,” Kang said.
According to Army Recognition, citing Euractiv, the United States blocked the integration of U.S.-made GMLRS rockets into France’s planned Foudre and Thundart artillery systems.
The decision came as France faces a looming gap in rocket artillery capability, with its existing launcher fleet expected to shrink to just nine operational systems before their retirement between 2027 and 2030. Without access to U.S.-made guided rockets, the two French programs could face higher development risks, costs and delays.
It shows that access to widely used U.S. munitions does not necessarily mean foreign-developed launchers can integrate them. U.S. approval remains necessary for the final configuration and sale of HIMARS-related weapons, giving Washington a degree of control over who can use the GMLRS ammunition ecosystem and on which launch platforms.
The Croatian Chunmoo package includes a separate contract with Poland’s WB Electronics for the delivery, installation and integration of a command-and-control system, while Hanwha provides the launchers and rocket ammunition.
An Eugene Investment & Securities report described the emerging structure as one linking Hanwha’s launchers and ammunition with Poland’s WB command-and-control technology and Croatian industrial cooperation.
“Chunmoo is expanding, like the K9, into a common artillery platform and supply chain in Europe,” Eugene analyst Yang Seung-yoon said.
The development could be significant for Hanwha’s next stage of expansion in Europe.
Until recently, competition between Chunmoo and HIMARS was often framed as a contest in which governments would choose one system over the other. Croatia shows that the market may not necessarily work that way.
For countries facing both a deteriorating security environment and growing concerns about ammunition availability, supplier concentration and delivery times, buying two systems can itself become part of the deterrence strategy.
DS Investment & Securities sees potential for further Chunmoo sales not only in countries looking to replace aging Soviet-era multiple rocket launchers, such as Romania and Bulgaria, but also among European states already pursuing HIMARS, including Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden.
AJP Takeaways
- Croatia is buying 18 Chunmoo launchers despite already ordering HIMARS.
- Chunmoo offers faster delivery, flexible firepower and a second ammunition supply chain.
- The deal expands Hanwha Aerospace’s foothold in Europe as demand for long-range fires grows.
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