Leclerc (tank)

| armour = Modular composite armour SXXI version include titanium and semi-reactive layers.

| primary_armament = GIAT CN120-26/52 120mm tank gun

| fuel_capacity = 1300 litres (1700 with fuel drums)

| suspension = Hydropneumatic

| clearance =

| speed =

| pw_ratio = 27.52 hp/tonne replacing the AMX-30 as the country's main armoured platform. With production now complete, the French operate 222 Leclercs (with 184 more in storage, for a total of 406), while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) possesses 388.

Of the units in French service, 200 will be upgraded to the Leclerc XLR standard with deliveries expected to begin in 2022. During the Eurosatory 2024 presented Leclerc Evolution and EMBT ADT140, prototypes of the enhanced fourth-generation main battle tank.

History

In 1964, studies were initiated about a possible replacement vehicle for the AMX-30 main battle tank: the Engin Principal Prospectif. In 1971, in view of the inferiority of the AMX-30 in comparison to the new generation of Soviet tanks about to be introduced, the Direction des Armements Terrestres ordered the beginning of the Char Futur project. In 1975, a working committee was created, and in 1977 it agreed on a list of specifications. In February 1980 however, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with West Germany involving the joint development of a MBT, called the Napoléon I in France and Kampfpanzer III in Germany. Fundamental disagreements about its desired configuration led to a failure of this cooperation in December 1982. It was announced that a purely French battle tank would be developed, called "EPC" (Engin Principal de Combat). The importation of foreign equipment, like the M1 Abrams, the Leopard 2, or the Merkava, had been studied and rejected.

In contrast to most Western programmes of the time, more emphasis was placed on active than passive protection to limit overall vehicle mass. Mobility for evading enemy fire and fire control systems were given particular attention. Nevertheless, it was a stated design goal to achieve at least double the protection against KE-penetrators in comparison to the level attained in then-current MBTs of the fifty-ton weight class, the latter indicated at about 400 mm RHA equivalency. The higher level of protection would also protect against shaped charges.

left|thumb|The gunner's position, looking down from the turret roof

Partnership with a foreign state was sought to limit unit cost, and found when the UAE ordered 436 vehicles, adding to the 426 units already planned for the French Army.

In 1986, the project was started under the name "Leclerc", and six prototypes were swiftly built. Mass production started in 1990 with the four-unit Batch 1, used mainly for comparative tests in foreign countries. The 17 units of Batch 2 shipped with turret and hull armour improvements, but were diagnosed with engine and suspension problems and quickly retired. Batch 3 followed with further improvements and used to define the doctrine of use as well as instruction. Batches 4 and 5 were better built, eliminating recurring powerplant problems, and are still in service after having been refitted in the late 1990s.

The second series started with Batch 6, with an added climate control system in the right rear of the turret. Batch 7 introduced a transmission system to the command vehicle, and a data system giving instantaneous vision of the state of all battle tanks and acquired targets. It also incorporated minor improvements in the visor. Batch 8 units had a modernised electronic system, and Batch 9 replaced the ATHOS thermal imaging with a SAGEM Iris providing better resolution.

In 2003, the Greek army sought to acquire a new tank and tested the T-80U, T-84, Leclerc, M1A2 Abrams, Challenger 2E and Leopard 2A5. The Leclerc received a perfect score at the firing range, with 20 rounds fired from 1500 and at 2000 m away. Its hunter-kill test performance was weaker, with the Leclerc scoring 13 out of 20, compared with 17 for the Leopard. Both the Leclerc and Leopard sustained a nine-round-per-minute firing rate, higher than those of the other tanks. The Leclerc achieved a 500 km range, higher than the others. But price tags seemed to be a determining factor and the Greek Army selected the Leopard.

All previous Leclerc batches were to be modernised to Batch 9 standards as of 2005. In 2004, Batch 10 was presented, incorporating a new armour package and information systems that could share the location of enemy and friendly units with all vehicles on the battlefield. This was the beginning of the 96-unit third series. By 2007, 355 tanks were to have been operational, 320 of them incorporated in four regiments, each with 80 Leclercs.

, after a French defence review, each of the four regiments operated 60 Leclerc tanks for a total of 240 in operational units; with a further 100 in combat ready reserve. Due to financial cuts, only 254 tanks were fully operational in 2011.

Main Ground Combat System

In 2015, Nexter Systems merged with German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW), maker of the Leopard 2 tank, to form KMW+Nexter Defense Systems (KNDS), and the German Ministry of Defence announced plans to develop a new tank jointly with France as a successor to both the Leopard 2 and Leclerc tanks, named Main Ground Combat System (MGCS). At the 2018 Eurosatory, KNDS presented a technology demonstrator tank combining the hull of a Leopard 2A7 with the lighter, two-man turret of a Leclerc.

System architecture definition and technology demonstration phase was to be completed by 2024, with production and testing to start in 2028.

UAE bribery allegation

In September 2018, Der Spiegel reported that an intermediary in the $3 billion-plus UAE tank sale was paid a commission of nearly US$200 million, and that part of the sum may have been used to bribe government officials.

Design

Armament

Primary

thumb|Closeup of the front of the turret; the 12.7 mm coaxial machine gun can be seen below and to the side of the 120 mm main gun.

The Leclerc is armed with a 120 mm version F1 smoothbore gun designed by the arsenal of Bourges (EFAB) under the designation of CN120-26. Its barrel is 52 calibres long instead of the 44 calibre common on most main battle tanks of its generation,

Ballistic

The AMX-APX armament institution was responsible for the studies related to the configuration and the integration of the new ballistic protection concepts.

Original protection requirements were sent by the EPC project manager to AMX-APX on February 8, 1980. The protection of the future French main battle tank must guarantee a certain degree of invulnerability against 125 mm APFSDS and 130 mm shaped-charges warheads over its frontal arc. on which removable composite armour modules are mounted. Twelve modules surround the turret (six per side); they are numbered 1 to 6, starting from the front end. The modules are covered by an anti-slip coating made of fiberglass.

The turret bustle that contains the autoloader is protected on both sides against 30 mm armour-piercing rounds and shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon such as the RPG-7.

The technical approach consisted of replacing the passive composite modules protecting both sides of the turret bustle with lighter, reactive modules, incorporating semi-reactive layers. This weight-saving measure allowed the use of titanium in the ballistic protection of the turret frontal arc. It also shifted the center of gravity towards the front of the turret, closer to the traverse axis, facilitating the dynamic laying of the turret drives.

Block 10 and 11 (T10 and T11) Leclerc SXXI tanks are recognizable by their add-on ceramic armour plates bolted on the top of the reactive modules, protecting both sides of the autoloader compartment.

Passive counter-measures

Fourteen 80 mm dispensers of the Lacroix GALIX self-defence system are mounted onto the rear part of the turret. The French Army uses four types of ammunition:

Galix 3: three smoke grenades creating an opaque screen in the visual range for 50 seconds
Galix 4: two fragmentation grenades
Galix 6: one infrared decoy with a burn time of 10 seconds
Galix 13: three smoke grenades creating an opaque screen in the visual and infrared ranges for 30 seconds

Propulsion

thumb|right|French Army Leclerc tank navigating a course during exercise Strong Europe Tank Challenge in 2017.

The Leclerc has an eight-cylinder SACM (now Wärtsilä) V8X-1500 1,500 hp Hyperbar diesel engine and a SESM (now Renk AG) automatic transmission, with five forward and two reverse gears. The official maximum speed by road is 71 km/h and 55 km/h cross country (speeds in excess of 80 km/h were reported on road). The maximum range is given as 550 km, and can be extended to 650 km with removable external tanks. The "hyperbar" system integrates a small Turbomeca TM 307B gas turbine in the engine, acting both as a turbocharger and an APU giving auxiliary power to all systems when the main engine is shut down. The Hyperbar name comes from the unusually high boost pressure of 7.5 bar and the resulting mean effective pressure of 32.1 bar. For comparison, the turbocharged diesel engine in a typical passenger car has a mean effective pressure of about 20 bar. In addition, with boost available even when idling, this arrangement also works as an antilag system.

With a combat weight of 56 tons, the Leclerc is one of the lighter main battle tanks in the world, though still considerably heavier than Soviet and later Russian designs; this gives it one of the best power-to-weight ratios among Western tanks (27 hp per ton) and makes it one of the fastest MBTs of its generation (0 to 32 km/h in 5 seconds).

The engine exhaust, exiting at the rear left, is cooled to reduce the thermal signature of the Leclerc. Transmission is hydromechanical, with five forward and two reverse gears. Fuel tanks carry 1,300 litres and act as extra protection for the tank; two 200-litre external tanks can be fitted on the rear of the hull, though they have to be jettisoned before entering combat because they limit turret rotation.

The gearbox is equipped with a hydrokinetic retarder, which can slow the Leclerc down at a deceleration rate of 7 m/s (0.7 g) which is automatically used over 30 km/h.

Operational history

The four regiments which operate the Leclerc are:

1e régiment de chasseurs stationed near Verdun, part of the 7th Armoured Brigade
4e régiment de dragons stationed in Carnoux-en-Provence, part of the 7th Armoured Brigade
12e régiment de cuirassiers stationed in Olivet, part of the 2nd Armoured Brigade
501e régiment de chars de combat stationed in Mourmelon-le-Grand, 2nd Armoured Brigade

In service since 1992 (after the Persian Gulf War), the Leclerc has mostly seen deployment in low-intensity conflicts, including 15 Leclerc stationed in Kosovo (KFOR) and 13 others deployed in south Lebanon until 2010 for the UNIFIL peacekeeping operations, during which their performance was judged satisfactory by French officials.

As of August 2015, Leclerc tanks of the UAE were deployed in combat operations in Yemen (near Aden) as part of the Saudi-led coalition. It is estimated that 70 Leclerc MBTs were deployed by the UAE in Yemen, 15 of them equipped with the AZUR package. During one month, three tanks were damaged, two by antitank mines and one by an RPG, which damaged the grid without piercing the hull. One of the episcopes was hit by a ATGM, possibly of Konkurs or Konkurs-M type, killing the driver and injuring the commander's legs. None of these tanks were completely destroyed.

During the Iron Spear exercise, October 2019, Leclerc tanks crewed by the Lynx 6 Tactical Inter-Service Sub-Group (S-GTIA) participated in an inter-alliance exercise and surpassed the American M1A2 Abrams, German, Spanish and Norwegian Leopard 2s, Italian C1 Ariete and Polish PT-91.

As part of Mission Aigle, Leclerc tanks of the 1st Chasseur Regiment, 7th Armoured Brigade were deployed to Romania in November 2022. Currently, there are 13 tanks deployed with the Battle Group Forward Presence.

Variants and upgrades

Built

Séries 1: original production model, 134 produced.

S1OP Série 1 Opérationnelle: refers to the 82 serviceable Leclerc S1 that were upgraded to the RT5 standard.

Séries 2: perfected model with the ability to be deployed in desert environments, 176 produced.

new NBC system which integrates a hybrid air conditioner.
independent air conditioning unit installed on the back roof behind the gunner's hatch.
In order to balance the turret with the addition of the air conditioner, the turret frontal armour is thickened a few centimetres ahead of the commander's station.
revised sprocket cooling fins.
extra splash guard added to the front hull.
Remote operated hydraulic track tensioner.
bolt-on appliqué armour on each hull sponsons.
Athos thermal camera on the gunner's sight is replaced by the new Iris thermal camera since the block 9 (T9).
SIT ICONE battlefield management system added in 2009

S2OP Série 2 Opérationnelle: refers to the 137 serviceable Leclerc S2.

Séries XXI: 96 produced.

New composite front armour package containing titanium. Turret bustle composite armour has been replaced by a lighter explosive reactive armour.
Turret storage bins have been tailored for the larger armour package.
The commander has now the HL 120 panoramic sight which now features a laser rangefinder and the Iris thermal camera.
Higher electrical turret output.
IFF indicator.
SIT ICONE battlefield management system.

Leclerc XLR: modernization project of the French Army Leclerc S2 and SXXI. 18 Leclerc will be retrofitted to the XLR standard in 2023, 200 Leclerc XLR are expected by 2029.

Common SCORPION vetronics such as the SICS battlefield management system and CONTACT radio and Blue force tracking.
New fire control system adapted to the new 120 mm HE M3M multi-mode programmable high-explosive round.
FN Herstal T2B remote weapon station.
Obsolescence management of the V8X1500 engine, especially its Turboméca TM-307B gas turbine.
Mine protection belly plate.
BARRAGE IED jammer.
Add-on composite side armour modules from the AZUR urban warfare kit.
Slat armour.

Tropicalized Leclerc version sold to the UAE; it is fitted with:

EuroPowerPack with the 1,100 kW MT883 diesel engine built by the German MTU Friedrichshafen company - the UAE has interests in this company and preferred the engine to be built by them.
Extended hull with increased fuel capacity.
Externally mounted diesel auxiliary power unit with a tank infantry telephone fitted on its armoured box.
Redesigned engine compartment (louver, access panels).
Engine-driven mechanical heavy-duty air-conditioning mounted in the left part of the hull.
HL-80 commander panoramic sight with Alis thermal camera and laser rangefinder.
ATO (Armement Télé-Opéré) remote-controlled weapon station for a 7.62 mm FN MAG machine-gun operated under-armour by the HL-80 panoramic sight.
Leclerc Battlefield Management System (LBMS).
Completely automated driving and turret functions with pictograms on the buttons for use by crew with only basic training.
Thermal tarp.
Some bustle storage bins are replaced by baskets.

Leclerc T4: Prototype with an elongated turret built in 1996. It was armed with a 140 mm smoothbore gun designed by the arsenal of Bourges (EFAB). In order to avoid being scrapped, the prototype turret was restored in the 2010s and mounted on a former Leclerc hull which was used in its last years as a towing vehicle. Following its restoration, the tank was nicknamed Terminateur (Terminator) by the director of the technical section of the French Army (Section Technique de l'Armée de Terre or STAT), who did everything to preserve this technological demonstrator.

In 2017, the Terminateur was presented with the experimental Scorpion camouflage.

Leclerc EPG Engin Principal du Génie: "main engineering vehicle": armoured engineering, one prototype built in 2001

Leclerc MARS (Moyen Adapté de Remorquage Spécifique): Leclerc S1 converted into an armoured recovery vehicle due to decreased order of Leclerc DNG (20 instead of 30). The main gun, the sights and the autoloader are removed to make it 5 tonnes lighter.

Leclerc DNG Dépanneur Nouvelle Génération: recovery tank deployed as of 2004

Leclerc AZUR Action en Zone URbaine: urban warfare kit for actions in urban areas. Some elements of the kit such as the add-on composite armour were bought by the UAE Army for their tropicalized Leclerc operating in Yemen.

Proposed concept

Leclerc PTG (Poseur de Travure du Génie): proposed bridgelayer variant developed in 1996, no prototypes were built.
Leclerc 'Flakpanzer' SPAAG: Early 1990s proposal of a Leclerc fitted with a turret derived from that of the German Flakpanzer Gepard. It was imagined as armed with twin 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannons and two twin pack Mistral SAM launchers (total of four ready missiles). It was not adopted for service due to post-Cold War defence cutbacks.
Leclerc Crotale: A proposal from the same time period to fit the Crotale NG SAM system to a Leclerc chassis. Intended primarily to protect armoured formations on the move against aerial attack. Again not proceeded with due to cutbacks. No prototype known to have been built.
Leclerc V2C 2010 (Véhicule de combat de choc): A concept from early 2000s featuring installation of modular armor on the turret roof to protect the crew and autoloader, SPATEM hard-kill active protection system featuring two or four twin-barelled counter-projectile launchers, KBCM (Kit Basique pour Contre-Mesures pour Blindes) protection kit consisting of infra-red jammer, missile launch detection, laser warning receivers and additional GALIX grenade launchers, and armor enhancements featuring anti-mine protection, metal screens and rubber skirts. The upgrade proposal also included tactical UAV launch system. Only a scale mock-up was presented in 2002.
Leclerc Koufra, or Leclerc T40: A proposal from the late 2000s to convert existing Séries 1 vehicles into a 'heavy' reconnaissance scout, primarily for urban warfare. The conversion included a brand new turret incorporating a CTA CT40 Case Telescoped Weapon System (CTWS) as well as grenade launchers, along with provision for two side-mounted anti-tank missiles.

Classified manual leak

In October 2021, in an attempt to win an argument in the official forums of the war simulation game War Thunder, a crewman allegedly leaked excerpts of the tank's classified manual. Forum moderators quickly removed the documents from their website, stating that they could not use the said classified documents due to legal problems that would ensue.

Technical data

{|class="wikitable"

! style=width:200px | Description

! style=width:200px | Leclerc Série 1

! style=width:200px | Leclerc Série 2

! style=width:200px | Leclerc Série XXI

! style=width:200px | Tropicalized Leclerc

|Produced ||style="text-align:center;"| 132 ||style="text-align:center;"| 178 ||style="text-align:center;"| 96 ||style="text-align:center;"| 388

|Date ||style="text-align:center;"| 1992–1996 ||style="text-align:center;"| 1997-2003 ||style="text-align:center;"| 2003-2008 ||style="text-align:center;"| 1994 – early 2000s

|Batch ||style="text-align:center;"| T1 to T5 ||style="text-align:center;"| T6 to T9 ||style="text-align:center;"| T10 to T11 ||style="text-align:center;"| Not applicable

|Crew ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 3

|Combat weight ||style="text-align:center;"| 54.5 t ||style="text-align:center;"| 56.3 t ||style="text-align:center;"| 57.6 t ||style="text-align:center;"| 57 t

|Hull weight ||style="text-align:center;"| 36 t ||style="text-align:center;"| 37 t ||style="text-align:center;"| 37.5 t

|Turret weight ||style="text-align:center;"| 18.5 t ||style="text-align:center;"| 19 t ||style="text-align:center;"| 20.5 t ||style="text-align:center;"| x

|Gunner sight ||colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| HL 60 ||style="text-align:center;"| HL 130 ||style="text-align:center;"| HL 60

|Commander panoramic sight ||colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| HL 70 ||style="text-align:center;"| HL 120 ||style="text-align:center;"| HL 80

|Engine ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| SACM V8X Hyperbar 8-cylinder diesel engine ||style="text-align:center;"|MTU MT 883 Ka 500 12-cylinder diesel engine

|Engine displacement ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 16,470 cm3 ||style="text-align:center;"|27,361 cm3

|Forced induction ratio ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 7.8 ||style="text-align:center;"| 3

|Power output ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 1500 hp (1,118 kW) at 2500 RPM ||style="text-align:center;"| 1500 hp (1,118 kW) at 2700 RPM

|Maximum torque ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 4850 Nm at 1700 RPM ||style="text-align:center;"| 4545 Nm at 2000 RPM

|Acceleration from 0–32 km/h (0–20 mph) ||style="text-align:center;"| 5 seconds ||colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 5.5 seconds ||style="text-align:center;"| 6 seconds

|Transmission ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| SESM ESM 500 ||style="text-align:center;"|Renk HSWL 295 TM

|Suspension system ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 12 SAMM ESO twin-cylinder oleopneumatic suspension

|Tracks ||colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| V2 (aluminium alloy) ||style="text-align:center;"| V5 (steel) ||style="text-align:center;"| V2, V5 and Diehl 570

|Maximum speed ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" |71 km/h (backwards 38 km/h)

|Fuel capacity ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 1,300 liters (up to 1700 liters with external fuel drums) ||style="text-align:center;"| 1,420 liters (up to 1820 liters with external fuel drums)

|Hull length ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 6.88 m ||style="text-align:center;"| 7.03 m

|Width ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 3.43 m (3.60 m with ballistic side skirts and 3.71 m with side-view mirrors)

|Height ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 2.53 m (turret roof)

|Ground clearance ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 500 mm

|Wading depth without preparation ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 1.1 m

|Wading depth with snorkel ||colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| 4 m ||style="text-align:center;"| Not applicable

|Trench passability ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 3 m

|Climbing ability ||colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| 1.1 m

|Turret rotation time (360°) ||colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| 12 seconds ||style="text-align:center;"| 9 seconds ||style="text-align:center;"| 12 seconds

Operators

thumb|upright=1.35|Map of MBT Leclerc operators.

thumb|A [[United Arab Emirates Army Leclerc on display in IDEX 2005 defense Exhibition in Abu Dhabi.]]

: 166 Leclerc and 34 Leclerc XLR in service as of 2025.
: 268 Leclerc in service as of 2025. Originally 436 tanks.
: 70 Leclerc in service as of 2025. 80 Tanks were donated by United Arab Emirates.

Potential operators

: Cyprus may get second-hand tanks to replace the T-80U
: In January 2022 Nexter officials were contacted by India on participating in the Future Ready Combat Vehicle program with the proposal of the Leclerc XLR MBT.
: In April 2022 talks were held between Nexter representatives and Croatian delegation about possible acquisition of Leclerc XLR tanks for Croatian Army.
: In January 2023, French President Macron stated that he was considering sending Leclerc tanks to the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

Examples on display

Example on display at the Musée des Blindés in Saumur, France.
Leclerc Evolution prototype at Eurosatory in Paris, France.

References

Bibliography

Chassillan, Marc (2005). Char Leclerc: De la guerre froide aux conflits de demain.
Chassillan, Marc (2001). Raids Hors-série N.3: les chars de combat en action.

External links

Leclerc program update
Leclerc MBT article on Armour.ws
Leclerc tank photos @ 5 Star General site