NATO Members Further Expand South Korean Rocket Force Facing Russia as Norway Orders Chunmoo Systems

The Norwegian Defence Ministry has formally selected the South Korean K239 Chunmoo rocket artillery system as its next-generation long-range precision fires solution, the procurement of which is expected to revolutionise the Norwegian Army’s long range fire capabilities in line with NATO operational concepts. The contract is valued at approximately $922 million, and represents a central part of the Army’s broader long-range fires modernisation program which had been budgeted nearly 2 billion dollars. The order covers the procurement of sixteen mobile launch vehicles and a package of precision-guided rockets and ballistic missiles, supported by a comprehensive Integrated Logistics Support framework. Norwegian defence officials have emphasised that the contract structure prioritises rapid operational readiness, high availability, and scalability for possible future munitions growth, with followup orders considered likely. 

The Norwegian Defence Ministry in late November removed the German EuroPULS rocket artillery system from the Long Range Precision Firing Systems tender, leaving the rival American HIMARS and the Chunmoo as the sole remaining contenders. Developed by the German firm KNDS Deutschland, the decision to exclude the system was made despite pressure from Berlin to establish pan-European equipment commonality. German defence products have frequently suffered from a limited ability to compete on foreign markets, with South Korea’s defence sector, and to a lesser extent that of the United States, having been leading beneficiaries in Europe. The Norwegian Army has already modernised its artillery forces with the procurement of 52 South Korean K9 155 mm self-propelled howitzers and 14 K10 ammunition resupply vehicles from 2017, with the K9 widely considered to be the most capable NATO-standard mobile howitzer in production. In Norwegian service the howitzer is reported to have demonstrated high reliability, accuracy and availability even in harsh Arctic conditions. 

Norway’s order for Chunmoo systems closely follows the Estonian Defence Ministry’s signing of an agreement to expand its orders for the same systems in late December 2025. “Chunmoo has a firing range of up to 300 kilometres, and they are working to go further, up to 500 kilometres,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur observed at the time, with his country’s procurement having considerable strategic implications. The Russian economic hub of St Petersburg, for example, is located just 140 kilometres from the Estonian border, well within range for sustained bombardment by even lower calibre rockets launched by the Chunmoo system. The system can integrate 131mm, 230mm, 239mm rand 400mm rockets, as well as 600mm ballistic missiles.

Commenting on its advantages over the rival American HIMARS, Hanwha’s head of precision-guided munitions business Billy Boo Hwan Lee observed: “HIMARS has only one rocket pod, but we use two… This means we have double capability. For example, on the left side we can use an 80 kilometer range rocket, and on the right a 290 kilometre range rocket. Our system is dual-purpose. This means we offer greater operational capability.” Commander of an Estonian Army division fire support unit Meelis Laanemets similarly highlighted the Korean system’s significantly greater firepower than the HIMARS, although noting that this came at the expense of mobility.

South Korean defence imports have played a particularly central role in allowing NATO members to maximise their combat capabilities, and have heavily compensated for the considerable deficiencies affecting Western defence sectors. Having emerged as by far the largest client for South Korean armaments, the Polish Defence Ministry in 2022 signed a $6 billion framework agreement for the acquisition of 288 Chunmoo launchers, before later expanding this further. Hanwha and Poland plan to supply all European Chunmoo operators, including Norway, with rounds produced under license in Poland. The rapid rate at which South Korea’s defences sector has been able to supply armaments has not only been vital to facilitating NATO’s ongoing military buildup against Russia, but has also allowed older equipment to rapidly be retired from service, much of which has then been donated to the Ukrainian Army for combat use against Russia.