K239 Chunmoo

The K239 Chunmoo, also called the K-MLRS (Korean Multiple Launch Rocket System), is a South Korean rocket artillery system.

K239 Chunmoo
TypeMultiple rocket launcher
Place of originSouth Korea
Service history
In service2015-present
Used by Republic of Korea Army
Republic of Korea Marine Corps
Production history
Designed2009-2013
ManufacturerHanwha Group
Produced2014-present
No. built100+[1]
Specifications
Mass25 t (28 short tons)
Length9 m (30 ft)
Width2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Height3 m (9.8 ft)
Crew3
Caliber130 mm
227 mm
239 mm
Effective firing range130 mm: 36 km (22 mi)
227 mm: 45 km (28 mi)
239 mm: 80 km (50 mi)
EngineDiesel engine
400 hp
Operational
range
800 km (500 mi)
Maximum speed 80 km/h (50 mph)
Guidance
system
Inertial plus GPS

Design and development

The K239 is a self-propelled multiple rocket launcher (MRL) capable of firing several different guided or unguided artillery rockets. The launcher carries two launch pods that can hold three types of rockets: 20 130 mm unguided rockets, previously used on the K136 Kooryong, with a range of 36 km (22 mi) (40 total); six 227 mm unguided rockets, previously used on M270 MLRS vehicles operated by the South Korean Army, with a range of 45 km (28 mi) (12 total); and six 239 mm guided rockets designed for the system with a range of 80 km (50 mi) (some sources claim 160 km (99 mi), 12 total). The 239 mm rockets are 3.96 m (13.0 ft) long and GPS/INS guided with two modes of operation, impact bursting for use against personnel and delay bursting to destroy bunkers; it was a requirement of the ROK Army for the guided rocket to have a penetrator warhead to be used as a "bunker buster" solution against the large number of bunkers along the DMZ. Two different types of rocket pods can be loaded at once and the modular containers can be reloaded quickly. The launch vehicle is based on a Hanwha 8x8 truck chassis with an armored cab that protects its 3-man crew from small arms fire and artillery shell splinters as well as providing NBC protection. Each Chunmoo launcher is paired with an Ammunition Support Vehicle (ASV) using the same truck chassis carrying four reload pods. An ROK Army Chunmoo battery consists in 18 vehicles and uses the K200A1 as a command vehicle.[1][2][3]

Development of the K239 began in 2009 and was completed in late 2013. South Korea's Defense Agency for Technology and Quality spent 131.4 billion won ($112.4 million) on the project to create a replacement for the K136 and initial production was carried out in August 2014. In October 2014, South Korea announced the purchase of 58 K-MLRS. In August 2015, the ROK Army began deploying the Chunmoo.[4][5]

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See also

References
  1. Chunmoo K-MLRS with 239mm Guided Rockets. Army Recognition. 21 October 2017.
  2. Chunmoo. Military-Today.
  3. Chunmoo K-MLRS K239. Army Recognition.
  4. South Korea to purchase 58 Chun Moo K-MLRS multi-calibers MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket System. Army Recognition. 5 October 2014.
  5. South Korea starts deploying its next-generation Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system. Army Recognition. 5 August 2015.
  6. http://southkoreanmilitary.blogspot.com/2018/09/chunmoo-ii-multiple-rocket-launcher.html
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