Hanwha Aerospace (Hanwha Aerospace) said on the 2nd that on the 30th of last month (local time) it signed an export contract with Norway's Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) that includes 16 Chunmoo launchers, guided missiles, and comprehensive logistics support. The total value of this "Chunmoo full package" contract is $922 million (about 1.3 trillion won). The contract runs from this month through July 2029.

The Chunmoo that Hanwha Aerospace will deliver to Norway is a "local customized" version upgraded for stable operation even in the frigid, snowy tundra. The ability to tailor systems to the export destination is cited as a strength of Korea's defense industry. Hanwha Aerospace said it beat the United States' Lockheed Martin HIMARS and Germany's KNDS Euro-PULS with its local customization strategy, cost-effectiveness (price-to-performance), and fast delivery.

At the Cheonmu export contract signing ceremony held in Norway on the 30th (local time), officials from both countries, including (from left) Kim Hyun-jong, First Deputy Director of the Office of National Security; Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace; Seo Min-jung, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Norway; Lee Yong-chul, Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration; Kim Tae-gon, Director General of International Cooperation at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration; Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President; Marte Gerhardsen, Norway's Deputy Minister of Defense; and Gro Jære, Director General of the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, pose for a commemorative photo. /Courtesy of Hanwha Aerospace

Hanwha Aerospace plans to build a "Chunmoo operating ecosystem" to allow countries that import Chunmoo to share parts supply and operating know-how. Following the Middle East, the group of Chunmoo-operating countries has expanded to Poland, Estonia, and Norway.

The current administration's stance of actively supporting defense exports also played a role. Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik visited Norway in Oct. last year as a special envoy for strategic economic cooperation, personally delivered a letter from President Lee Jae-myung, and met with Norwegian government officials to actively explain Chunmoo's performance and avenues for intergovernmental defense cooperation. In Nov. of the same year, Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-baek held talks with Norway's defense minister.

Son Jae-il, Hanwha Aerospace's CEO, said, "This deal came together through the trust we have built by supporting operations of the K9 self-propelled howitzer exported to Norway combined with the government's active diplomacy," adding, "Based on our 'one team' framework with the government, we will contribute to the Republic of Korea's security and continue to expand global defense cooperation."

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