Croatia Signs for 18 K239 Chunmoo Launchers at EUR 435.2 Million, WB Electronics Command System Separately

The government had cleared the purchase on 4 September, and the contracts followed six days later at the prime minister's offices, with the South Korean defence minister present. The ministry describes the buy as a total-package approach: launchers, rockets, transport vehicles, fire-control centres, simulators and training rounds, test equipment, documentation and a first spares package, priced at EUR 435.2 million excluding VAT and EUR 544.05 million with it. Delivery runs across 2026–29, with the bulk, about 85 per cent, due in 2028. Anušić said the launchers would stand "alongside the Rafales as the striking and strongest force" of the Croatian armed forces, and praised the South Korean industry for "very affordable prices, top quality and very fast delivery".

Two further documents were signed with the launcher contract. WB Electronics of Poland supplies and integrates the command-and-control system under its own contract, and a memorandum of understanding between the two defence ministries sets a framework for industrial, military-technical, training, exercise and research cooperation. Anušić said the relationship was not one-directional and named Končar as the Croatian company to take part over the coming years; Lee said Hanwha would concentrate on technology and knowledge transfer and hoped the Korean industry would "find a place" in Croatia. Plenković set the purchase beside the HIMARS order from the United States: the Chunmoo extends range and firepower, diversifies supply routes and strengthens deterrence.

Croatia is buying the Polish structure, not just the Korean launcher. Poland fields the same vehicle as Homar-K with a WB Electronics fire-control layer over Hanwha's hardware, and on 8 September at Kielce the Armaments Agency signed the sub-licence under which Polish plants make launcher spare parts and assemble modules for 290 launchers, with rocket assembly at Gorzów from 2029. A Croatian battery with a WB command system and a Korean launcher will draw its rockets from Korea until that Polish line runs, and Poland is the only European source announced. On Hina's count Croatia follows Poland, Norway and Estonia as a Chunmoo customer in Europe; it is the one that runs the system beside HIMARS rather than in place of it, which makes the two command systems, not the launchers, the integration question. Signal No. 143 records the signing on the day the edition expected it, after a Tuesday date that did not hold.