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K239 Chunmoo
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K239 Chunmoo
The K239 Chunmoo (Korean: 천무; Hanja: 天橆; RR: Cheon-mu) is a rocket artillery system developed in 2013 to replace the aging K136 Kooryong of the South Korean military.
South Korea struggled to come up with countermeasures in the 1970s when North Korea deployed BM-21 Grad, a new multiple rocket launcher (MRL) 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 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 (ROK 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 (DAPA) spent 131.4 billion won ($112.4 million) 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 (ADD).[citation needed]
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 (HPMRL). 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.
The K239 Chunmoo is a self-propelled multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) 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 (such as the K30, K37 and K38), 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:
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K239 Chunmoo
The K239 Chunmoo (Korean: 천무; Hanja: 天橆; RR: Cheon-mu) is a rocket artillery system developed in 2013 to replace the aging K136 Kooryong of the South Korean military.
South Korea struggled to come up with countermeasures in the 1970s when North Korea deployed BM-21 Grad, a new multiple rocket launcher (MRL) 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 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 (ROK 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 (DAPA) spent 131.4 billion won ($112.4 million) 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 (ADD).[citation needed]
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 (HPMRL). 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.
The K239 Chunmoo is a self-propelled multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) 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 (such as the K30, K37 and K38), 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:
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