France Considers Purchasing South Korean K239 Chunmoo Multiple Launch Rocket Systems

The French Army is considering the purchase of South Korea’s K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems as a temporary solution to enhance its long-range strike capability.

According to Opex360, France’s artillery units currently operate only a small number of outdated LRU (M270) launchers. These systems require extensive maintenance and are no longer suited to the demands of modern high-intensity warfare.

France officially plans to develop its own long-range strike system, the FLP-T (Frappe Longue Portée – Terrestre), designed to provide a credible deep-strike capability. However, the system is not expected to enter service before 2030.

As a result, France has examined foreign alternatives, including the U.S.-made M142 HIMARS and Israel’s PULS system. Nevertheless, a recent study by the French think tank IFRI recommends the South Korean K239 Chunmoo, manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace, as the preferred option.

The expert analysis highlights that the K239 Chunmoo is a modern, multi-role, multiple-launch rocket system with a wide range of available munitions and relatively short delivery timelines.

It is already in service or on order in several European countries, including Norway and Estonia, as well as Poland, which is expanding ammunition production in Europe for this system.

Under the 2024–2030 Military Programming Law (LPM), France is focusing on a sovereign solution to replace its M270 LRU launchers as part of the Long Range Land Strike (FLP-T) program. Two teams are working in parallel on the project – Safran/MBDA and Thales/ArianeGroup – with the selection of the winner expected in 2026.

The target specifications for FLP-T include a range of over 150 km, with delivery to the armed forces by 2030, followed by a gradual increase in range to 500–1,000 km. These timelines have prompted France to consider India’s Pinaka multiple-launch rocket system as a temporary measure to bridge the capability gap until the national system enters serial production.

In April 2025, at the exhibition in Le Bourget, the French company unveiled the fully French-made Foudre multiple launch rocket system, positioned in the same category as the American HIMARS.

The developers present it as a “100% French-made” system capable of directly competing with HIMARS.

In October 2025, French defense companies MBDA and Safran developed the Thundart multiple-launch rocket system to compete for a new system of this type for the French Army.