Hanwha Aerospace has won the contract for the Norwegian Army's next-generation long-range precision fire system (LRPFS) program. The project is worth 19 billion kroner (about 2.8 trillion won).
The Ministry of National Defense said on the 29th (local time) that it selected Hanwha Aerospace as the final contractor for the LRPFS program. Earlier, on the 27th, the Norwegian parliament passed a bill approving the LRPFS procurement project in a plenary session, and the Ministry of National Defense finalized the contractor selection two days after the bill's passage.
Hanwha Aerospace is scheduled to sign the contract on the 30th and then supply the Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system to Norway.
In this bidding, Lockheed Martin's HIMARS, which emphasized compatibility with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) system, and EURO-PULS by KNDS, the German-French joint defense company, were mentioned as competing candidates.
Industry officials initially assessed that Lockheed Martin and KNDS had the advantage, but they cited Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik's visit to Norway as a turning point. Kang, as a special envoy for "strategic economic cooperation" in Oct. last year, reportedly met a series of senior government officials in Norway and delivered a personal letter from President Lee Jae-myung and the Korean government's intent to cooperate.
The overall project is worth 2.8 trillion won, but the budget directly allocated to purchasing Chunmoo is said to be around 1 trillion won. The remaining funds will be used for the Norwegian military's force integration process and related infrastructure development.
A defense industry official said, "This export of Chunmoo to Norway is a result of 'Team Korea,' combining the government's diplomatic power and Hanwha's technological prowess."