On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, Jelcz, a company that is part of the Polish Armaments Group, announced the first mobility trials of the 3rd generation Jelcz trucks.
Photos: Justyna Orzechowska, Jelcz
The 3rd generation Jelcz trucks with independent suspension – the three-axle model 663.45 T60 TS 6×6 and the four-axle model P883.57 T80 TS 8×8 – were developed from scratch by Polish engineers at the company. The 663.45 model, among other things, is intended to serve as a carrier for the Homar-A rocket system, which is the Polish designation for M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. The other 8×8 model is designed for various applications depending on needs, such as transporting 20-foot containers. Ultimately, these vehicles will become the primary off-road vehicles of the Polish Army. The architecture of these vehicles is much more modern than the previous versions, providing significant development potential.
The vehicles premiered at last year’s XXXI International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO in Kielce. Later, on September 11, 2023, the chassis with the Homar-A launcher was presented again at the Artillery and Armament Training Center (CSAiU) in Toruń during the approval of the framework agreement for 486 launchers for 27 rocket artillery divisions.
Conceptual work on the new generation of Jelcz vehicles began a few years ago, and work on the prototypes started after the first executive contract was signed on December 14, 2022, between the State Treasury – Armament Agency and the PGZ-WWR consortium for the delivery of Jelcz vehicles and special chassis for the WWR Homar-A (M142 HIMARS) and WWR-Homar-K (K239 Chunmoo) modules.
Based on a press release