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South Korea presented the CTM-290 ballistic missile, intended to be sent to the Polish army. This became known during the launch of a missile using the Homar-K launcher in the presence of Polish officials. CTM-290, which can be compared to the American ATACMS ballistic missile. It is designed to increase the firepower of the Polish military in combination with other ammunition, such as a 239-mm rocket.
Details
This event highlights the introduction of advanced Korean-Polish artillery solutions such as the KRAB 2/3 SPH. In addition, it is recognized that the South Korean URE missile can neutralize North Korean artillery positions. Korea's defense exports increased by 140%, with Poland playing an important role in this surge.
The Homar-K, a custom designed Polish volley fire system, incorporates the K239 launcher from a locally produced Jelcz P883.57 8×8 truck chassis. Equipped with the Polish TOPAZ fire control system, it supports the South Korean 239 mm CGR080 guided missile and the CTM-290 tactical ballistic missile with a range of 290 km.
The introduction of the CTM-290 has benefited Poland and sparked interest in Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which are currently deploying the K239 system and are also considering adding the CTM-290 to their arsenals.
The CTM-290 missile is an export variant of the improved Ure-I/KTSSM Block-I missile. It serves as an intermediate solution between the existing Ure-I/KTSSM Block-I missile and the Ure-II/KTSSM Block-II missile currently under development. The CTM-290 has a similar configuration and shape to the 600mm Ure-I/KTSSM Block-I, but with improved performance. It can be launched from a modified Chunmoo launcher and the range has been increased to approximately 290-295 km under the provisions of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
The missile carries penetrating and thermobaric warheads from the Ure-I/KTSSM Block-I. Unlike the Ure-II/KTSSM Block-II, which is planned to carry a third type of warhead, the high-explosive high-explosive warhead, the Ure-I/KTSSM Block-I is a 600 mm single-stage tactical surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of only 180 km, although its warheads were designed to target North Korean bunkers and fortifications.
In addition, the Ure-II/KTSSM Block-II, currently under development, represents another type of ballistic missile for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, separate from the export type CTM-290 for the K239L Chunmoo system. Its development was approved by South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on September 18, 2023. It is planned that the work will last until December 2027, and the missile will be able to carry the warhead to a distance of more than 300 km.
On August 27, 2022, Polish Minister of Defense Mariusz Blaszczak announced ongoing negotiations on the acquisition of a South Korean missile artillery system, which were successfully concluded with an agreement on October 13, 2022. The agreement included the purchase of 288 Chunmoo MLRS systems equipped with the Polish TOPAZ system and 23 missiles with a range of 80 to 290 kilometers.
This acquisition follows a revised procurement strategy in Poland that initially included 500 HIMARS M142 launchers from the United States, but adjustments due to delays resulted in a split purchase that included South Korean Chunmoo launchers, which are expected to be delivered in 2024. The first Homar-K unit was officially deployed to the 18th Mechanized Division of the Polish Ground Forces on August 20, 2023, after final testing in South Korea.
Military hardware cooperation between South Korea and Poland continues to expand, and it remains to be seen what other projects the two countries will collaborate on in the future.
