France’s Thales and South Korea’s Hanwha have signed an integration agreement to pair Hanwha’s Chunmoo rockets with Thales’ X-Fire launcher system, the companies announced at the Theatrum Belli défense 2026 conference.
The deal formalizes a partnership aimed at combining a South Korean multiple-launch rocket capability with a launcher architecture developed by a major European defense contractor—an approach designed to deliver longer-range strike options for European militaries and export customers.
X-Fire and Chunmoo: a combined long-range strike package
Chunmoo is Hanwha’s multiple-launch rocket system, built to hit targets deep behind the front line from ground-based platforms. X-Fire, meanwhile, is Thales’ launcher solution intended to meet European armies’ long-range strike requirements.
Under the agreement, the two companies plan to integrate Chunmoo munitions into the X-Fire launcher to offer a single system that can deliver both saturation fire and improved precision against distant targets.
The timing reflects a fast-heating market. Demand for multiple-launch rocket systems has surged on the export market since the return of high-intensity war in Europe. Canada recently confirmed an order for 26 U.S.-made HIMARS launchers for $1.9 billion, highlighting Western militaries’ appetite for long-range strike capabilities.
A bid for European export competitions—and beyond
The industrial logic is straightforward: match a proven South Korean missile with a launcher architecture developed by a European player, creating an offering positioned to compete with U.S. systems in NATO tenders and broader export competitions.
Hanwha has emerged in recent years as one of Asia’s most dynamic arms exporters. Chunmoo already equips several militaries, and the Korean firm is seeking to accelerate its push into Europe—particularly in the Baltic states and Poland, where long-range artillery requirements have been sharply revised upward since 2022.
Deep-strike capability rises to the top of Europe’s priorities
For Thales, the agreement fits a strategy to expand in ground-based strike systems, an area where the French group has traditionally been less prominent than in radar, optronics, or electronic warfare. Tying X-Fire to a missile with an existing operational track record could speed the rollout of a competitive product.
Neither company disclosed details on the development timeline or the first customers being targeted at the time of the announcement.
