Hanwha, Poland Expand Defense Ties With Ammunition and Missile Collaborations
South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace has signed two major agreements with Polish defense partners to boost local ammunition certification and missile production.
The deals reflect Poland’s effort to expand domestic defense production and reduce reliance on imports, building on earlier contracts with Hanwha for howitzers and rocket systems during the NATO member’s military buildup after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Ammunition Agreement
As part of its cooperation, Hanwha signed a memorandum of understanding with the state-owned Military Institute of Armament Technology (WITU) to jointly test 155-millimeter ammunition with existing Polish Armed Forces platforms, conduct technical exchanges, and explore potential research and development projects.
Hanwha said the partnership will help secure certification for Poland’s self-propelled howitzers and support efforts to establish an ammunition production base in Europe.
“Our joint initiatives in R&D and scientific exchange will strengthen our mutual capabilities and contribute to innovative solutions for security and defense,” said Billy Boo Hwan Lee, head of Hanwha Aerospace’s Precision Guided Munitions division.
Missile Venture
The Changwon-based firm also signed an agreement with WB Group, Poland’s largest defense company, to establish a joint venture producing CGR-080 guided missiles for the Homar-K multiple launch rocket system, Warsaw’s variant of South Korea’s Chunmoo artillery.
Production is expected to scale up before the end of 2028, creating about 250 jobs in Poland.
The missile project builds on plans first unveiled in April 2025, when Hanwha and WB Group announced their strategy to localize production of munitions for the Chunmoo system, including domestically made rockets and missiles.
“We are gaining the capability to produce missiles for the HOMAR-K launcher,” Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz remarked at the signing.
“It’s a milestone in becoming more self-reliant in defense manufacturing.”
Hanwha Aerospace CEO Jae-il Son echoed the sentiment, saying the project “will localize CGR-080 manufacturing, transfer critical know-how, and co-develop next-generation munitions with Polish partners.”
“It is a commitment of investment, people, and technology in Poland, for a safer Europe,” Jae-il added.
