Croatia Buys South Korean Rocket Launchers as Regional Arms Race Accelerates

Boo-hwan Lee, chairman of Hanwha’s board of directors (L) and Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anusic. Photo: MORH/F.Klen. Croatia signed contracts on Thursday with South Korean company Hanwha Aerospace to buy 18 Chunmoo K239 self-propelled multiple rocket launchers worth 435.2 million euros, excluding VAT, which Hanwha will deliver by 2029. The total cost of the deal, including VAT, training, missiles and spare parts, was not disclosed. The government in Zagreb previously said the system’s advantages include its ability to use missiles of different calibres, flexibility, strong firepower and a very short reaction time. The same launchers have already been purchased by Norway, Estonia and Poland, which also produce missiles for the system. On Thursday, Defence Minister Ivan Anusic also signed a contract with Polish company WB Electronics to deliver and integrate a command-and-control system for the launchers. “With this type of weaponry, Croatia is gaining capabilities that it does not currently have, or has ever had,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said at the contract-signing ceremony. The Chunmoo K239 launchers “will complement the contracted HIMARS systems, increase the range and firepower of the Croatian Army, diversify supply routes and further strengthen deterrence,” the Prime Minister added, referring to the missile system that Croatia previously ordered from the United States. Anusic said the Chunmoo launchers, “along with the [French] Rafale [fighter jets] will be the strongest and most striking force” of the Croatian armed forces. He stressed that this is not a “one-way relationship” with South Korea, as the Croatian company Koncar will also be involved in implementing the project. The Defence Minister praised the South Korean arms industry for its “very affordable price, top quality and very fast delivery”, which he said was crucial in current geopolitical circumstances. Boo-hwan Lee, chairman of Hanwha’s board of directors, emphasised that the company wants to “continue and deepen cooperation with Croatia” and “focus on the transfer of technology and knowledge”. He called Croatia a “long-term partner” and expressed hope that South Korea’s defence industry will “find a place” there. Beside the contract with the Korean company, Croatia’s and South Korea’s defence ministries signed a memorandum of understanding. Croatia’s eastern neighbour, Serbia, is meanwhile also arming itself, as a kind of arms race continues to develop in the region. During the official visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Serbia and the Serbia-Uzbekistan Business Forum held in Belgrade on Tuesday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Serbia will start producing long-range ballistic missiles. “Within a year, we will start producing long-range ballistic missiles, and we are ready to cooperate with you [Uzbekistan] on that matter as well,” Vucic said to Mirziyoyev, adding that Serbia is already producing shorter-range ballistic missiles. “We are making progress in our defence industry. We are receiving technology transfers from some powers, while we are providing [technology] to others,” Vucic said.