Hanwha Aerospace breaks ground on Chunmoo rocket plant in Poland

Hanwha Aerospace Co. said Thursday it has broken ground on a guided rocket manufacturing plant in Poland as part of efforts to expand its defense production capabilities in Europe.

The South Korean defense company held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday in Gorzow Wielkopolski, western Poland, alongside Hanwha WB Advanced Systems, its joint venture with Poland's WB Group.

The plant, scheduled for completion in 2028, will mark Hanwha Aerospace's first guided weapons production facility in Europe.

The facility will manufacture CGR-080 guided rockets for the HOMAR-K, the Polish version of Hanwha's Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system.

The company plans to roll out the first batch in late 2029 before beginning full-scale production in 2030.

HWBAS was established in September 2025, with Hanwha Aerospace holding a 51 percent stake and Poland's WB Electronics owning the remaining 49 percent.

The joint venture has signed a contract with Poland's Armament Agency to produce and supply CGR-080 guided rockets, with Hanwha Aerospace set to transfer manufacturing technology to HWBAS under a licensing agreement.

The project is expected to strengthen Poland's domestic defense manufacturing capabilities while expanding Hanwha Aerospace's production footprint in Europe.

Poland has emerged as a major European customer for South Korea's defense industry, having signed large-scale procurement deals for Korean weapons systems, including K9 self-propelled howitzers, K2 main battle tanks and Chunmoo MLRSs. (Yonhap)