Flashback to 27 August 2022, Poland announced the procurement of the self-propelled MLRS K239 Chunmoo 8x8 from Hanwha Corporation, South Korea. However, Poland does not necessarily buy the weapon system in its 'original' form. Because it buys in large quantities, Poland requires the use of domestic components in the procurement of K239 Chunmoo. One of them is the replacement of the launcher truck platform.
The MLRS K239 Chunmoo 8x8 (original) uses the Doosan Infracore K239L 8x8 truck platform, while Poland requests the truck platform to use the Jelcz P882 8x8. Apart from using domestically made trucks, the MLRS, which was acquired from South Korea, will also adopt the Topaz fire control system made in Poland.
With the change in specifications above, the K239 Chunmoo 8x8 variant for Poland is then labeled K239PL Homar-K. As is the case with the fast procurement project for the FA-50 Fighting Eagle tactical fighter jet for Poland, so is the case for the K239PL Homar-K.
After three Jelcz P882 8x8 trucks arrived in South Korea, on 7 June 2023, Homar-K has been launched by Hanwha. And as quoted from the Global Defense Insight Twitter account, at the end of July the K239PL Homar-K successfully completed a mobility test in Changwon, South Korea.
According to the agreement between South Korea and Poland, 218 Homar-K units will be built in South Korea, and the remaining 70 will be built in Poland. Delivery of the first batch of K239PL Homar-K to the Polish Army will take place in early August.
The HOMAR-K, Polish version of Hanwha's K-239 Chunmoo MRLS, successfully completed its mobility tests at a state-run proving ground in Changwon, southern industrial city of South Korea, late July.
— Global Defense Insight (@Defense_Talks) August 3, 2023
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The K239PL Homar-K carries two launch pods capable of firing rockets of different calibers. It can fire K33 130 mm caliber unguided rockets (20 rockets to each pod), 227 mm unguided rockets (6 rockets to each pod), and 239 mm guided rockets (6 rockets to each pod).
The 130 mm rockets have a range of 36 km, while the larger 230 mm rockets have a range of around 80 km for the non-guided, and 160 km for the guided variants. The 239 mm rocket has a length of 3.96 meters and is guided by GPS/INS with two operating modes, namely impact bursting to fight personnel and delayed bursting to destroy bunkers. Two different types of rocket pods can be loaded at once and the modular containers can be reloaded quickly.
Procurement of self-propelled MLRS in large quantities and fast delivery periods cannot be separated from Poland's needs over concerns over the effects of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
