This photo, provided by Australia’s defense department, shows a South Korean Marine Corps’ K9 self-propelled howitzer firing a shell during a multinational live-fire demonstration in Australia during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023 on July 22, 2023.
SEOUL, July 24 (Korea Bizwire) — A senior Australian Army officer has portrayed a South Korean-made Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher as having a “great” capability, as Seoul has been striving to strengthen its foothold in the Australian defense market.
Brigadier Damian Hill made the remarks in a written interview with Yonhap News Agency, as Seoul has deployed the K239 Chunmoo artillery system and other weapons to join an ongoing biennial multinational exercise in Australia, called Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Jointly led by Australia and the United States, the two-week exercise kicked off Saturday.
It has brought together more than 30,000 military personnel from 13 nations, including South Korea, Britain, Germany, Canada, New Zealand, France and Japan.
“The Republic of Korea (ROK) has deployed K9 self-propelled howitzers and long-range rocket artillery systems to Australia for the first time to participate in a live fire exercise, demonstrating increased interoperability with regional partners,” Hill, the exercise director, said, referring to South Korea by its official name.
“The K239 is a great capability and, as an artillery officer, it’s really exciting to see all these capabilities demonstrated together at a live-fire activity during Exercise Talisman Sabre,” he added.
For the high-profile exercise, South Korea deployed the K239, along with more than 700 Navy and Marine Corps troops, K9 howitzers, the ROKS Marado amphibious assault ship and the ROKS Munmu the Great destroyer.
Hill’s upbeat assessment of the Chunmoo system came amid Seoul’s steady efforts to deepen arms industry cooperation with Canberra.
Australia has adopted the K9 system and South Korea has also been pushing to export its homegrown Redback armored vehicle to the country.
With a maximum range of 80 kilometers, the Chunmoo system has served as a key counter-artillery asset for South Korea to counter threats from North Korea’s long-range artillery. Chunmoo means “covering the sky” in Korean.
It marks the Chunmoo system’s first overseas live-fire drills with the Marine Corps — an apparent sign of Seoul’s commitment to deepening involvement in the exercise and of its desire to help promote the homegrown weapons system to a potential buyer.
This photo, provided by the Australian government, shows Brigadier Damian Hill, exercise director of Talisman Sabre 2023, speaking at the opening ceremony for the drills in Sydney on July 21, 2023.
South Korea took part in the biennial exercise in 2019 as an observer before becoming a full-fledged participant in 2021.
This year’s exercise marks the largest of its kind ever, featuring various drills, including amphibious landings, ground force maneuvers, and air combat and maritime operations, according to Hill.
“It is fantastic to welcome back the Republic of Korea Armed Forces to Exercise Talisman Sabre 2023, building on their debut in 2021,” Hill said.
“ROK’s significant participation in Talisman Sabre this year is a tangible example of our growing defense relationship.”
The exercise is expected to set the stage for the Chunmoo system to demonstrate its firepower as Seoul is striving to carve out a larger share in the global weapons market.
Last year, South Korea unveiled the goal of becoming the world’s fourth-largest defense exporter by 2027 after clinching major arms deals with Poland, including a US$3.55 billion contract to supply Warsaw with Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers.
Australia has emerged as a crucial market for South Korea after a local defense firm, Hanwha Defense, signed a contract in December 2021 to supply 30 K9 self-propelled howitzers to Australia by 2027.
In May, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup met with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles, in Seoul and the two sides agreed to develop “mutually cooperative” bilateral relations in the arms industry, according to Lee’s office.
This year’s Talisman Sabre exercise comes amid growing security uncertainties stemming from geopolitical rivalry between the U.S. and China, and North Korea’s provocative acts, including its cruise missile launches over the weekend.
Hill said the drills will serve as an opportunity to enhance the military capability and interoperability among the participating countries.
“The scale and design of this year’s training opportunities increases the depth, complexity and challenge for exercise participants,” he said.
“The exercise will test our respective forces in planning and conducting multinational and multi-service Task Force operations.”
It also marks the first time for France and Germany — both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization — to take part in the exercise, according to Hill.
(Yonhap)
