A Croatian military delegation recently visited the General Józef Bem Rocket Forces and Artillery Training Centre in Toruń, Poland, to gain insights into the training protocols established for the K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). The bilateral engagement focused on exchanging operational experience and best practices for launcher crew instruction, which forms the cornerstone of Warsaw’s national HOMAR-K program. Croatian personnel were briefed on the structural framework of the Toruń facility, multi-stage crew preparation, and lessons learned from initial training cycles, highlighting Poland’s emerging role as a regional hub for artillery instruction following previous engagements with Baltic nations Estonia and Latvia.
The visit follows Zagreb’s procurement agreement signed with South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace on September 10, 2026, for 18 K239 Chunmoo launchers alongside associated supply vehicles, ordnance, and integrated logistics support packages. By finalizing the purchase, Croatia joined an expanding footprint of European Chunmoo operators that includes Poland, Estonia, and Norway. Crucially, the Croatian variant will integrate the Polish WB Group TOPAZ battlefield management system, establishing direct technological commonality with the Polish inventory and reinforcing interoperability among NATO user states.
Poland remains the primary European customer for the system, configuring its HOMAR-K variant on domestic Jelcz 8×8 military truck chassis paired with the TOPAZ architecture to meet an ultimate requirement of 290 launcher modules under existing executive contracts. The operational rollout of the system within the Polish Armed Forces has generated a comprehensive repository of technical and instructional data, positioning Warsaw as a reference user capable of assisting allied nations with integration, fleet management, and crew conversion programs.
The alignment of national K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) acquisitions presents broader opportunities for Hanwha Aerospace Europe and regional operators to consolidate maintenance, logistics, and joint training pipelines across the system’s operational lifecycle. As additional European militaries evaluate the South Korean platform, standardized command-and-control software like TOPAZ and centralized training initiatives are expected to streamline multilateral defense cooperation, lifecycle support, and collective fire support doctrine across NATO’s eastern flank.
