Poland's new rocket launchers double firepower capacity
At the Central Air Force Range in Ustka, the first combat rocket firings from the K239 Chunmoo (HOMAR-K) multiple rocket launchers took place. These firings were conducted by soldiers from the 18th Artillery Brigade. We showcase the performance of this competitor to the HIMARS, which the Polish army is acquiring from South Korea.
Below, you can see photos from the firing at the Central Air Force Range in Ustka. They show the launch of the CGR-080 rocket with a caliber of 9 inches. These rockets are the main striking force of the K239 Chunmoo (HOMAR-K) launchers, which, alongside the M142 HIMARS systems, form the "long arm" of the Polish Land Forces.
K239 Chunmoo – a key weapon of the Land Forces
The K239 Chunmoo are multiple rocket launchers utilizing precise CGR-080 rockets with a caliber of 9 inches. These rockets can be equipped with various types of warheads: fragmentation, cluster with 300 bomblets, penetrating, or thermobaric.
The CGR-080 rockets have a range of about 50 miles and an accuracy within 50 feet. This is achieved through a classic guidance system based on satellite and inertial navigation. One launcher carries a total of 12 rockets, grouped in two containers of six each, making the South Korean system twice as powerful as the American one.
Additionally, the K239 Chunmoo launcher can carry two more significant short-range CTM-290 ballistic missiles with a caliber of 24 inches. These missiles are capable of carrying 1,100-pound warheads over a distance of up to 180 miles, with an accuracy of up to 6 feet. These are ballistic missiles for which defense is very challenging, as demonstrated by Russian Iskander-M missile strikes on targets in Ukraine.
This is not the end of the capabilities of the HOMAR-K system. In the future, it will also be enhanced with Polish M-21 "FENIKS" rockets with a caliber of 5 inches and a range of about 25 miles, used on WR-40 Langusta systems.
