Estonia Boosts Long-Range Power with Major South Korean Rocket System Deal

Estonia is significantly expanding its long-range artillery arsenal, confirming plans to acquire the powerful Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) from South Korea. The purchase, announced by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday, will dramatically enhance the nation's "deep strike" capabilities, allowing the military to engage targets up to 450 kilometers inside enemy territory.

The deal for the South Korean K239 Chunmoo self-propelled system was formalized with the signing of a bilateral defence cooperation agreement between Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur and his South Korean counterpart, Ahn Gyu-back.

Minister Pevkur underscored the strategic rationale behind the acquisition. "It is critical for Estonia to possess the capacity to influence the adversary deep within its borders. We are actively augmenting our deep-strike options with these additional rocket systems,” Pevkur stated.

This is a key phase in Tallinn’s integrated strategy to build up its strike capacity, which was initiated with the acquisition of the American HIMARS systems, the first of which arrived this year. Pevkur highlighted that the Estonian Defence Forces specifically chose the South Korean-made launchers, noting that a hybrid approach utilizing both US and South Korean systems is also being pursued by NATO ally Poland (whose adapted version is known as the Homar-K).

In a strong gesture of regional cooperation, Poland’s defence minister has committed to offering training for Estonian teams and, if required, deploying their own systems to Estonia. This training program, expected to be fully operational within two to three years, mirrors the successful partnership developed during the introduction of the HIMARS capability, which included deployment of a US Task Force to train Estonian troops in Tapa.

Beyond military capability, the agreement holds major economic benefits: a significant portion of the contract value will be reinvested into the domestic defence industry through industrial localization, representing tens of millions of euros in direct investment for Estonian companies. This follows Estonia’s earlier successful procurement of 36 K9 self-propelled howitzers, also manufactured by South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace.

Strategic Necessity: Why South Korea is Key to Baltic Security

This procurement is not just an equipment deal; it is a strategic response to an unprecedented global security reality, setting a critical example for Latvia and Lithuania and the entire Baltic Sea region.

As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently highlighted, the alliance faces a staggering rate of military production from adversaries. Speaking at the IISS Prague Defence Summit, Rutte warned: "Russia and China are investing heavily to build up and modernise their militaries... Russia allocates 40% of its budget on its war economy." He stressed that until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO allies combined.

In this context of urgent demand and strategic deficit, Estonia's choice is a highly rational move. Secretary General Rutte explicitly thanked the Republic of Korea for "filling the gaps at this moment in NATO, because we are not producing fast enough." The reason for choosing Korea, he noted, is clear: the equipment "is good and it delivers fast at NATO standards."

The strong defence cooperation between Estonia and Poland, two nations on NATO's eastern flank—with Estonia procuring HIMARS training from Poland, and both utilizing compatible South Korean systems—provides a powerful, replicable model for the entire Baltic region. For Riga and Vilnius, this model demonstrates the necessity of:

1. Diversifying Supply Chains: Proactively sourcing equipment from partners like South Korea that offer rapid delivery and high quality.

2. Maximizing Value: Leveraging South Korea's competitive price point and production capacity to speed up the modernization of forces.

3. Building Regional Synergy: Using multilateral deals and shared training programs to enhance interoperability, ensuring collective defence readiness in the face of long-term confrontation.

The Estonian-South Korean partnership is a clear sign that, as the security environments of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific become increasingly interconnected, the rapid and reliable contribution of key global partners is crucial for fortifying the entire eastern border of NATO.