The LeClerc is Frances frontline main battle tank. By Staff Writer
The introduction of the Leclerc main battle tank into French Army ranks brought the much outdated armored units on par with global forces. The system featured state-of-the-art systems allowing for excellent off-road performance, on-the-move firing and capabilities consistent with what was expected of a main battle tank throughout the 1990s and beyond. As a replacement for the aged AMX-30 system, the Leclerc remains a valuable and high performance player for the French Army and will remain so for some time to come.
The Leclerc is crewed by three personnel with an autoloader negating the need for a fourth crewmember in the turret. The autoloader is a computer controlled system that allows the gunner to select from two specific types of ammunition on the fly and offers up a sustained rate-of-fire of up to 12 projectiles per minute. The turret is fitted with a powerful 120mm main gun, similar to the system found on the Leopard 2 and the M1 Abrams tanks though longer in length. The driver sits in the middle of the hull while the gunner and commander occupy the turret. 40 120mm projectiles are carried aboard. The hull is characterized by clean and sharp angled armor along with side armor skirts over the tracks and six road wheels per track side.
Along with the 120mm main armament, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun is mounted co-axially to the main gun, which is a slight departure from Western norms in that a 7.62mm machine is almost always used there. Instead, a 7.62mm machine gun is mounted to the top of the turret for anti-aircraft defense. Additionally, 9 smoke grenade dischargers are present.
Beyond the initial Leclerc production model, an improved Leclerc Mk 2 has appeared as well as an armored recovery vehicle. The Leclerc served actively in Kosovo with both French and UAE forces stationed there. UAE remains the other sole user of the Leclerc main battle tank.
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Armored Vehicle Quick Profile
Image Courtesy of the United States Department of Defense.
1992
Designation:GIAT Leclerc Classification Type:Main Battle Tank Contractor:GIAT Industries - France Country of Origin: France Number Built: 836
Operators: France and the United Arab Emirates.
Variants
Engin de Combat Principal - Original System Designation.
Leclerc - Official Designation appearing from 1996 onwards.
Leclerc Mk 2 - Improved Leclerc
Leclerc ARV - Armored Recovery Vehicle
Leclerc AEV - Armored Engineering Vehicle (proposed).
Leclerc AVLB - Bridgelayer (proposed)
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