K239 Chunmoo
The K239 Chunmoo is a rocket artillery system developed in 2013 to replace the aging K136 Kooryong of the South Korean military.
History
South Korea struggled to come up with countermeasures in the 1970s when North Korea deployed BM-21 Grad, a new multiple rocket launcher brought in from the Soviet Union. At that time, the possibility of fatal casualties increased if towed howitzers, self-propelled howitzers, and multiple rocket launchers deployed by the North Korean military fired at the South Korea. The South Korean military developed the K136 Kooryong in 1978 to counter the threat of North Korean artillery. With the deployment of Kooryong to the Republic of Korea Army since the 1980s, it was temporarily able to maintain a similar balance to North Korea's artillery power.However, over time, problems such as the discontinuation of the main parts of the aging Kooryong system have been revealed, and as North Korea developed a large-caliber rocket with further increased range, the military pointed out that Kooryong could be outmatched.
Development of the K239 Chunmoo began in 2009 and was completed in late 2013. South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration spent 131.4 billion won on the project to create a replacement for the K136 Kooryong MLRS. The goal was to develop a new multiple rocket launcher system with an automated fire control system compatible with the ammunition used in the M270 MLRS, which the South Korean military had previously operated. Initial production was carried out in August 2014. The K239 development program was the first defense development program led by South Korean private defense companies, unlike other defense development programs conducted under the leadership of the Agency for Defense Development.
In August 2015, the ROK Army began deploying Chunmoo batteries, and by the end of 2016, it was deployed to Yeonpyeong Island and Baengnyeong Island, where ROK Marine Corps are stationed.
In October 2025 at ADEX 2025 in Seoul, Hanwha Aerospace unveiled the High-Performance Multiple Rocket Launcher. Developed for Marine Corps usage as a more mobile launcher than the K239 Chunmoo, the HPMRL prototype weighs 19 tons and is 8.5 meters long, 2.6 meters wide, and 3.2 meters high. Its smaller size means that HPMRL only carry a single ammunition pod of the type used by Chunmoo. However, HPMRL is capable of being transported by C-130 aircraft without disassembly and can fire from the deck of a moving ship in Sea State 5. With initial development of HPMRL as an internal Hanwha program being complete, full-scale development in cooperation with DAPA is expected to start in 2030.
Design
The K239 Chunmoo is a self-propelled multiple launch rocket system capable of firing several different guided or unguided artillery rockets.The K239 is capable of launching K33 131 mm rockets, but not 130 mm rockets, which are used in the existing K136 Kooryong rocket artillery system. The K239 launcher carries two launch pods, each of which can hold three types of loadouts:
- 20 K33 131 mm unguided rockets, previously used on the K136 Kooryong, with a range of .
- Six KM26A2 230 mm rockets which are based on the M26 227 mm unguided DPICM rocket used in M270 MLRS vehicles operated by the South Korean Army, with a range of .
- Six 239 mm chunmoo guided rockets with either high explosive penetration warheads, or cluster bombs with 300 bomblets, designed for the K239 Chunmoo with a range of .
Two different types of rocket pods can be loaded at once. The rocket pod can launch six 239 mm rockets in 30 seconds and a total of 12 rockets in one minute, and it's possible to reload two rocket pods in seven minutes. The launch vehicle is based on a Doosan DST K239L 8×8 truck chassis with an armored cab that protects its 3-man crew from small arms fire and artillery shell splinters as well as providing NBC protection. The vehicle can climb 60% slopes, and is equipped with an Anti-lock Braking System, Run-flat tires, and a Central Tire Inflation System. Each Chunmoo launcher is paired with an K239T Ammunition Support Vehicle which uses the same type of truck chassis and carries four reload pods. An ROK Army Chunmoo battery consists of 18 vehicles and uses a K200A1 as a command vehicle.
System features
The K239 Chunmoo system was created from the ground up to have distinguishing characteristics from other multiple launch rocket systems.- In order to reduce operational and maintenance costs, the Chunmoo launcher system is mounted on the modified chassis of a four-axle Korean truck which has less cross-country ability when compared to tracked vehicles.
- The artillery unit does not have permanently mounted launch rails. This allows the Chunmoo to transport and use launch containers containing different types of rockets from one platform.
- The cockpit of the vehicle is armoured to provides protection against small-calibre weapons and artillery shell fragments.
- It is equipped with a load-lifting device, similar to that of the MLRS. The estimated maximum recharging time is 10 minutes.
- The Chunmoo system includes an ammunition transport and charging vehicle on a common 8x8 chassis, and carries two sets of transport and discharge containers.
- The Korean army requested that the Chunmoo be designed to fire different types of ammunition. This includes 227 mm standard MLRS, but also 131 mm and 239 mm South Korean rockets. The maximum range of the 131 mm ammunition is up to and approximately for the 239 mm ammunition.
- Rockets can be fired from the cockpit of the combat vehicle, or by using a remote fire control device.
- The Chunmoo system is capable of being transported by the C-130 but requires the removal of its tires and wheels to fit inside the aircraft's hold.
Rocket and missile specifications
Improvements
Ure-2 (CTM-290)
On 27 April 2022, South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced a plan to develop a vehicle-mounted tactical surface-to-surface guided weapon. The purpose of this development project is to improve the existing Ure-1 to increase the range from to and integrate tactical ballistic missile systems into various types of Transporter Erector Launcher such as the K239 Chunmoo. The development project is scheduled to begin in 2023 and plans to complete the development with a total budget of 1.56 trillion won by 2034.On 21 December 2022, the Agency for Defense Development conducted a public test of Ure-2 under further development at Anheung Proving Ground. The missile was mounted on the K239 Chunmoo vehicle and hit a target 200 kilometers away after it was launched.
On 13 March 2023, the 150th Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee deliberated and approved the basic strategy and system development plan for developing a vehicle-mounted tactical surface-to-surface missile, and the revised plan included the agenda of completing the development of Ure-2 by 2032, two years earlier than the previous plan.
On 24 April 2024, ADD conducted a test launch of CTM-290 integrated into the Homar-K system in the presence of Poland's Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Bejda and government officials from each country. The missile that was launched successfully hit the target after flying for more than 200 seconds.
Extended-range rockets
In June 2022, South Korean Agency for Defense Development revealed efforts to increase the range of the Chunmoo's 239 mm rockets to. This would give them range similar to the North Korean 300 mm KN-09. Research and development efforts are evaluating ducted rocket propulsion technology, which adds an air inlet that absorbs external air and combines it with a gas generator for combustion to produce greater thrust, as well as a valve that controls the flow of gas for maneuvering. There is also research into a larger 400 mm rocket based on a miniaturized version of the Ure surface to surface missile, which the Chunmoo could carry four of.Variants
Homar-K
Homar-K is a Polish multiple launch rocket system combining the improved K239 launcher and Jelcz P882.57 8x8 chassis produced by Huta Stalowa Wola. Built to meet Polish military requirements, the system is equipped with Integrated Combat Management System and is armed with a South Korean 239 mm CGR-080 guided rocket produced in Poland under license as well as a 600 mm CTM-290 tactical ballistic missile with a range of. Further development is underway for integration with Polish 122 mm unguided rocket.The Homar-K program also envisages the production of a Polonized missile launcher module by Huta Stalowa Wola. Poland ordered a total of 290 launchers, the first of which entered service with the Polish Land Forces in 2023., over 100 launchers were in active service.