On Thursday, October 23, 2025, during a visit to Seoul, Estonian Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur and Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea Ahn Gyu-back signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defense cooperation, under which the Tallinn government plans to acquire K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace.
Photo: Estonian Ministry Of Defence
Południowokoreańskie wyrzutnie, w nieujawnionej liczbie uzupełnią amerykańskie M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), których jak dotąd zamówiono 6 egzemplarzy, ale ostatnio pojawiły się informacje o planach ich podwojenia, co potwierdzono w najnowszym komunikacie prasowym. Planowana współpraca estońsko-koreańska oznacza również dziesiątki milionów USD bezpośrednich inwestycji dla estońskiego przemysłu obronnego.
Jak podkreśla resort obrony, Estonia szybko zwiększa swoje zdolności do przeprowadzania uderzeń na duże odległości, co umożliwi jej prowadzenie wojny na terytorium wroga, w razie potrzeby, oraz zapewni Estonii, a także szerzej pojętemu NATO, zdolności odstraszania i obrony. Oznacza to, że Estonia chce posiadać 12 M142 HIMARS i pewną liczbę K239 Chunmoo.
“It is important for Estonia to have the ability to influence the enemy deep within its territory. To this end, it is necessary to increase Estonia’s deep-strike capability with additional rocket launchers. We began developing our deep-strike capability with the acquisition of US HIMARS rocket launchers, and we have also agreed with the US on the acquisition of additional HIMARS units, for which we are currently awaiting exact delivery dates from the US. To further strengthen its deep-strike capability, the Defence Forces have selected Chunmoo rocket launchers manufactured by a South Korean company. A similar solution based on US and South Korean rocket launchers is also used by Poland, for example,” explained Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.
“What is also crucial for me about this agreement is that a significant share of the transaction volume will go to the Estonian industry through the application of the principle of localisation. This means tens of millions of euros in direct investments in Estonia’s defence industry,” said Pevkur.
Further discussions on the technical details of the Chunmoo rocket launcher procurement will be conducted between the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI, Kaitseministeerium), the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) under the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea, and the manufacturer, Hanwha Aerospace. The next step will be the signing of the corresponding framework agreements.
Estonia has already engaged in defense cooperation with South Korea, having ordered 36 K9EST Kõu 155mm self-propelled howitzers (24 of which have already been delivered, with the remaining deliveries scheduled for completion by the end of 2026).
Dalsze rozmowy na temat szczegółów technicznych zakupu wyrzutni rakiet Chunmoo będą prowadzone między estońskie centrum inwestycji obronnych Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI, Kaitseministeerium), urzędem ds. zakupów wojskowych DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) przy Ministerstwie Obrony Republiki Korei a producentem, spółką Hanwha Aerospace. Kolejnym krokiem będzie zawarcie odpowiednich umów ramowych.
Estonia już wcześniej angażowała się również we współpracę obronną z Koreą Południową, zamawiając 36 samobieżnych haubic K9EST Kõu kal. 155 mm (24 egz. już dostarczono; dostawy zostaną sfinalizowane do końca 2026).
K239L launcher for K239 Chumnoo system / Photo: Hanwha Aerospace
During his visit to South Korea, Minister Hanno Pevkur met with senior officials of the South Korean Ministry of National Defense and, together with colleagues from the ECDI, attended the 15th ADEX International Defense Industry Exhibition 2025 in Ilsan (October 20–25), the largest defense industry fair in Asia. A delegation of representatives from Estonian defense industry companies also visited the exhibition.
Outside Poland, the K239 Chunmoo system has been exported to the United Arab Emirates (12 units) under a 2017 agreement and to Saudi Arabia (number undisclosed; deliveries confirmed in 2023). The system is currently being offered to Malaysia, Norway, Sweden, and Iraq.
The K239 Chunmoo is equipped with two rocket pods, which can accommodate four types of guided rockets as well as unguided 131 mm rockets (36 rounds). For guided munitions, each pod can hold, depending on the effector used: six 239 mm CGR-080 guided rockets with a range of 80 km, or one 600 mm CTM-290 guided ballistic missile with a range of 290 km (for the latter, an extended-range missile is currently being tested for export purposes).
At ADEX 2025, the concept for an upgrade dubbed Chunmoo 3.0 was showcased; it is to be integrated with new types of munitions: CTM-MR anti-ship missiles or CTM-ASBM anti-ship ballistic missiles with a range of 160 km, and the L-PGW100 cruise munition. At MSPO 2025, an agreement was signed with Saab Defence and Security for integration of the precision GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) munition.
On September 11 this year, Hanwha Aerospace signed an agreement with BAE Systems to integrate advanced anti-jamming GPS guidance systems with South Korean Deep Strike Capability guided rockets for use in Chunmoo.
Hanwha is also developing a lighter, unmanned launcher currently designated the Unmanned Amphibious Multi-Rocket Launcher, intended to be autonomous with a combat mass of 17 t (compared with 31 t for the baseline K239 Chunmoo), as well as a crewed HPRS (High-Performance Rocket Launch System) on a 6×6 chassis designed exclusively for CTM-MR and CTM-ASBM munitions.
🇪🇪 Defmin @HPevkur signs a defence cooperation agreement with South Korean Defmin Ahn Gyu-back to acquire Chunmoo rocket launchers, complementing Estonian HIMARS systems and enhancing NATO’s collective defence . 🇪🇪🤝🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/eZpjB8CYWf
— MoD Estonia (@MoD_Estonia) October 23, 2025