Photo: WB Group
The agreement was signed by Adam Bartosiewicz, Vice President of WB Group, and Ivan Anušić, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Croatia. The ceremony was also attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. Croatia has thus joined the growing group of NATO allies using the Polish C2 system.
“We are pleased that the TOPAZ system will become part of the capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces. This is another NATO country that has decided to use the Polish command-and-fire-control system. At the same time, today’s agreement is in a way an extension of our existing cooperation with Hanwha Aerospace, with which we have already jointly integrated solutions for Polish artillery. I would like to thank the Croatian side for its trust and our Korean partners for the good cooperation” – said Adam Bartosiewicz, Vice President of WB Group.
The agreement was signed in connection with Croatia’s procurement of a missile battalion based on the South Korean K239 Chunmoo system. The contract for the launchers was concluded on the same day between the Croatian Ministry of Defence and Hanwha Aerospace, a partner of WB Group.
“Today’s agreement is also, in a sense, an extension of our existing cooperation with Hanwha Aerospace, with which we have already jointly integrated solutions for Polish artillery. I would like to thank the Croatian side for its trust and our Korean partners for the good cooperation” – Adam Bartosiewicz said.
The Polish FONET and TOPAZ systems will provide the command, fire-control and communications layer for all vehicles forming part of the new missile unit of the Croatian Armed Forces: command vehicles, missile launchers and ammunition vehicles.
The agreement with the Croatian Ministry of Defence goes beyond the supply of components of the Polish systems. WB Group has declared its readiness to cooperate with Croatian industry, including the development of local capabilities related to the TOPAZ and FONET systems. Croatian company Končar is expected to become WB Group’s local partner.
The local service infrastructure is intended to provide through-life support for the systems while also creating a foundation for the further development of Croatian capabilities. The cooperation model envisages not only the delivery of the solution, but also long-term maintenance and further development of the systems with the participation of local industry.
The Croatian contract confirms the advanced nature of the Polish solutions, expands the presence of the FONET and TOPAZ systems among NATO member states, and demonstrates that WB Group’s integration capabilities allow them to be used on different platforms, with different effectors and equipment configurations.
FONET is a digital onboard communications system for military vehicles, designed to integrate radios, onboard equipment, and command-and-control and battle management systems within a single communications architecture. It provides the crew with voice and data transmission, internal intercom communications and access to external radio networks, while also enabling information exchange between vehicle subsystems.
FONET’s modular and open architecture allows integration with different types of radios, terminals and C4I/BMS systems, enabling the solution to be adapted to various wheeled and tracked platforms and their operational requirements.
TOPAZ is a command-and-fire-control system developed by WB Group that integrates sensors, command and effectors within a single solution. It enables the acquisition and distribution of target data, supports fire planning and execution, automates information exchange between elements of the force, and shortens the time from target detection to engagement with the appropriate effector.
TOPAZ can be integrated with different artillery systems, reconnaissance assets and communications systems, allowing it to be adapted to different organizational structures and operational requirements. It enables rapid and secure battlefield data exchange using interoperable protocols. In the Polish Armed Forces, it is the primary solution used by the Missile and Artillery Forces.
K239 Chunmoo / Photo: Hanwha Aerospace
On September 3, during a government meeting, the purchase of 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers from South Korean company Hanwha Aerospace was announced for the equivalent of 435.2 million EUR, excluding VAT.
This will supplement Croatia’s rocket artillery capabilities alongside the M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) launchers previously ordered from Lockheed Martin. On August 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of State approved the potential sale of eight launchers together with 394 GMLRS guided rockets for a maximum value of 390 million USD. On December 20 of the same year, an intergovernmental agreement worth 350,666,478 USD, including VAT, was signed. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2028.
Croatia later also expressed interest in purchasing MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles, but the United States did not approve the sale. The government in Zagreb therefore opened talks with South Korea.
Croatia will become another export user of the K239 Chunmoo after the United Arab Emirates (12 launchers ordered), Saudi Arabia (undisclosed number), Poland (290 launchers as the Homar-K), Estonia (9 launchers) and Norway (16 launchers). The system is currently being offered to Malaysia, Sweden, where the M142 HIMARS is also competing, and Iraq.
According to available sources, the number of rockets to accompany the launcher contract is not known, but the package is expected to include ballistic missiles with a range exceeding 300 km. It is worth noting that the South Korean side offers the 600 mm CTM-290 guided ballistic missile with a range of 290 km, while a new extended-range CTM-X missile has recently been developed for export customers.
Available information indicates that 85 percent of the contract is to be completed by 2028. Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anušić is expected to sign the agreement with Hanwha Aerospace shortly. There is also a Polish element to the program: a separate agreement is to be signed with WB Group for integration of the TOPAZ battle management system. Payments under the contracts are to be made between 2026 and 2029.
In the Croatian Army (Hrvatska kopnena vojska; HKoV), the K239 Chunmoo systems will replace six former Yugoslav 122 mm M-92 Vulkan multiple rocket launchers and thirty former Romanian 122 mm APR-40 launchers. Croatia’s modern artillery capabilities will also include 155 mm self-propelled howitzers: 12 tracked Panzerhaubitze 2000 systems already in service, with plans to acquire another 12, and 18 wheeled CAESAR 6×6 MkII howitzers ordered last year.
The acquisition of long-range strike systems is a response to similar steps taken by Serbia, which ordered Chinese CM-400AKG quasi-ballistic air-to-surface missiles with a range of at least 250 km for its MiG-29SM multirole aircraft, as well as 20 Israeli PULS (Precise & Universal Launching System) multiple rocket launchers.
