On Tuesday, January 16th, the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) announced on social media that in the first days of January 2024, the Armament Agency and Jelcz, a company belonging to PGZ, signed a contract for the delivery of Jak tank transporters. The subject of the agreement is the delivery of multiple sets consisting of a tractor unit and a lowboy/low-loader trailer for the transport of tanks and other heavy tracked equipment with a load capacity exceeding 63 tons.
Photos: Polish Armament Group
According to the agreement, Jelcz will supply several dozen sets consisting of an armored semi-truck, the Jelcz C882.62 8×8, and a lowboy trailer, the ST775-20W with enhanced mobility produced by the Demarko company. Additionally, Jelcz is also obligated to provide training services. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2027, with the total contract value being approximately 500 million PLN gross. The agreement was signed on behalf of the company by Jelcz board member Krzysztof Biegaj.
The Jak set received the Defender award during the XXX edition of the MSPO trade fair. The first units of this specialized equipment were delivered by our company to fulfill the needs of the Polish Armed Forces in April 2022. Signing another contract for Jak sets demonstrates that this equipment constitutes crucial support to the logistics of the Polish Armed Forces, including the transportation of Abrams main battle tanks and vehicles of the Leopard 2 family. To date, we have provided a total of 23 sets of Jak transporters for the Polish Armed Forces, said Krzysztof Biegaj.
The Jelcz C882.62 tractor is a vehicle designed to be used in conjunction with a lowboy trailer for the transport of main battle tanks and heavy tracked equipment with a combined weight of up to 70 tons. These vehicles are equipped with a four-seat cabin, providing ballistic protection at Level II according to STANAG 4569 standard. The tractor has four axles and an 8×8 drive system, meeting the requirements for enhanced mobility. The vehicle is prepared to operate in temperatures ranging from -30º C to +50º C and has been adapted for use on both hard surfaces and in off-road conditions. The main advantage of the vehicle is its high mobility, making it suitable for all types of terrain. Analyses conducted confirm its ability to cross water obstacles up to 1 meter deep, negotiate longitudinal slopes of up to 35%, and traverse lateral slopes of up to 15%. The vehicle has also been equipped with specialized devices aimed at increasing its operational efficiency. For the vehicle’s functionality, the presence of two hydraulic winches with a towing capacity of 25 tons each is of crucial importance.
The previous contract from May 29, 2019, with a gross value of 88,918,127.76 PLN, pertained to the delivery of 14 lowboy sets with an option for 9 additional sets and 3 tractors without trailers (for an additional 54.2 million PLN gross). Deliveries commenced on April 12, 2022, and were, as per the declaration, successfully completed.
So far, the Polish Army has utilized 59 Iveco EuroTrakker semi-trucks in versions MP720E48WT and MP720T50WT, 6 Faun SLT 50-2 Elefant trucks, and Mercedes-Benz Actros 3353AS trucks along with lowboy trailers. Recently, in addition to the discussed Jak sets, the military has received Mercedes-Benz Zetros 3348AS 6×6 semi-trucks with Dobrowolski NC wz. 21 lowboy trailers for transporting main battle tanks and heavy tracked equipment weighing up to 70 tons. A total of 31 sets have been ordered.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that in the PGZ press release about the sale of additional Jak sets, two photographs of a new lowboy trailer set, presented on May 8, 2023, were included (possibly unintentionally). This set consists of Jelcz C662D.43 semi-truck with an 8×8 drive system (currently used in the Daglezja program: MS-20 and MS-40, and in the future Daglezja-P) and Jelcz C882.57 with an 8×8 drive system (currently used in the Wisła, Mała Narew, Homar-K programs, and in the future Pilica+ and Narew, as well as the Mobile Center for Digital Communication – Transmission, radar antenna vehicles for P-18PL radars, and the Passive Location System PET/PCL). They are paired with new trailers from Demarko, developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR). These sets are designed for the transport of 155mm self-propelled howitzers AHS Krab and K9 Thunder, as well as tanks M1 Abrams, Leopard 2PL, and K2 Black Panther. In the PGZ note, we see the variant with the Jelcz C662D.43 semi-truck (photographs below).
