Hanwha Aerospace introduced on Dec. 22 that it has signed an roughly 440 billion gained (about $297.74 million) export contract with Estonia to produce the Cheonmu a number of rocket launcher system. A signing ceremony was held on Dec. 21 (native time) in Tallinn, Estonia, and was attended by Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, Katri Raudsepp, appearing director normal of the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments, Kang Hwan-seok, vice minister of South Korea’s Protection Acquisition Program Administration, Kang Kyung-sung, president of KOTRA, and Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace.
Underneath the contract, Hanwha Aerospace will provide six Cheonmu launchers together with three forms of guided missiles with ranges of 80 km, 160 km, and 290 km. In response to Europe’s rising pattern towards protection industrial bloc formation, the corporate additionally plans to actively pursue localization efforts, together with partial native manufacturing of Cheonmu parts and upkeep, restore, and overhaul (MRO) actions in cooperation with Estonian corporations.
The Cheonmu export to Estonia is the results of synergies between Hanwha Aerospace’s confirmed technological capabilities–validated via the export and operational deployment of the K9 self-propelled howitzer–and the South Korean authorities’s lively protection diplomacy. Specifically, the sturdy dedication to protection cooperation between the 2 governments, together with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in October between the protection ministries of South Korea and Estonia for the acquisition of Cheonmu techniques, supplied vital momentum for finalizing the contract.
Leveraging this export contract as a strategic foothold, Hanwha Aerospace plans to actively introduce Cheonmu options to the Baltic and Nordic nations similar to Norway, Latvia, and Lithuania, whereas diversifying its export markets with the objective of making a “second world Okay-defense bestseller” following the K9.
Appearing ECDI chief Raudsepp mentioned, “Securing sturdy and speedy response capabilities is Estonia’s high precedence amid a quickly altering safety atmosphere,” including, “The introduction of Cheonmu will function an vital alternative to additional strengthen Estonia’s protection capabilities.”
