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Im>Supa Z
(→‎Variants: 1500 HP = 1100 kW. Sentence now makes more sense.)
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{{about||people named Leclerc and Le Clerc|LeClerc (surname)|the French hypermarket chain|E.Leclerc}}
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{{Template:Infobox
  
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|Box title = Leclerc
  
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{{FixBunching|beg}}
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|image = Image:Leclerc-1-.jpg
  
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{{Infobox Weapon
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|Row 1 title = Type
  
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|name= Leclerc
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|Row 1 info = Main Battle Tank
  
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|image= [[Image:Leclerc-IMG 1744-b.jpg|300px]]
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|Row 2 title = Country of Origin
  
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|caption= Demonstration of a Leclerc tank in Paris, on the [[Bastille Day|14th of July]] 2006
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|Row 2 info = France
  
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|origin={{flag|France}}
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|type= [[Main battle tank]]
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|is_vehicle=yes
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|is_UK=yes
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|service= 1992– present
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|used_by=See ''[[Leclerc#Operators|Operators]]''
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|wars=
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|designer=
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|design_date=
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|manufacturer=[[GIAT Industries]] (now [[Nexter]])
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|unit_cost= ₣ 29,000,000 in 1993
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|production_date= 1990–2008
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|number= ~862
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|variants=
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|crew= 3<ref name=TGelbart /> (Commander, gunner, driver)
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|length= 9.87 m (6.88 without gun<ref name=TGelbart />)
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|width= 3.71 m<ref name=TGelbart />
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|height= 2.53 m<ref name=TGelbart />
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|weight= 54.5 tonnes<ref name=TGelbart />
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|armour= Steel, titanium, [[NERA (armour)|NERA]]
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|primary_armament= [[GIAT CN120-26/52]], 120mm [[tank gun]]<ref name=TGelbart /> <br/> 40 rounds (1 round ready to fire in the chamber, 22 rounds inside the autoloader magazine with additional 18 rounds in the chassis)
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|secondary_armament= 12.7 mm coaxial [[M2 Browning machine gun|M2HB]] machine gun <br/> 1,100 rounds <br/> 7.62mm machine gun <br/> 3,000 rounds
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|engine= 8-cylinder diesel [[Wärtsilä]]
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|engine_power= 1,500 hp<ref name=TGelbart /> (1,100 kW)
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|transmission= Automatic [http://www.renk.newsfactory.de/cms_media/objekte/267-ESM_500.pdf SESM ESM500]
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|fuel_capacity=
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|suspension= hydropneumatic
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|clearance=
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|speed= {{convert|71|km/h|mph|abbr=on}}<ref name=TGelbart />
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|pw_ratio= 27.52 hp/tonne<ref name=TGelbart />
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|vehicle_range= 550 km, 650 km (400 mi) with external fuel<ref name=TGelbart />
 
}}
  
}}
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{{FixBunching|mid}}
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{{Post-Cold War tanks}}
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{{FixBunching|end}}
   
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The '''Leclerc''' is the Main Battle Tank currently being used by the French Military. It is named after the Pilippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, who led the [[Free French Second Armored Division]] in World War II. Weighing in at just over 54 tons, the Lecler is one of the lightest main battle tanks in service around the world. It is also one of the fastest with a top speed of 44mph.
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The '''Leclerc''' is a [[main battle tank]] (MBT) built by [[Nexter]] of [[France]]. It was named in honour of General [[Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque]] who led the French element of the [[Liberation of Paris|drive towards Paris]] while in command of the [[2nd Armored Division (France)|Free French 2nd Armoured Division]] (''2ème DB'') in [[World War II]].
   
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The Leclerc is in service with the [[French Army]] and the army of the [[United Arab Emirates]]. In production since 1991,<ref name=TGelbart /> the Leclerc entered French service in 1992,<ref name=TGelbart>{{cite book |last=Gelbart |first=Marsh |title=Tanks main battle and light tanks |year=1996 |publisher=Brassey’s UK Ltd |pages=28–29 |isbn=185753168X}}</ref> replacing the venerable [[AMX 30]] as the country's main armoured platform. With production now complete, the French Army has a total of 406 Leclercs and the [[Military of the United Arab Emirates|United Arab Emirates Army]] has 388.
   
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==Description==
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==History==
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In 1964 studies were initiated about a possible replacement vehicle for the [[AMX 30]]: 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 that in 1977 agreed on a list of specifications. In February 1980 however, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the [[Federal Republic of 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''). Importation of foreign equipment, like the [[M1 Abrams]], the [[Leopard 2]], or the [[Merkava]] had been studied and rejected.<ref>Enrico Po, 1990, "The AMX LECLERC: French Armour Enters the 21st Century", ''Military Technology No. 9/90'', pp. 79-86</ref>
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The Leclerc main battle tank was developed by GIAT industries as a substitute for battle tank [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMX-30 AMX-30]B2. Its development began in [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983 1983], With the first prototypes were finished in [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989 1989]And the first production vehicle was delivered to the French army in [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993 1993].
  
   
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In contrast with most Western programmes of the time, much consideration was given to active, besides passive protection, to limit the overall mass of the vehicle. Mobility for evading incoming fire and firing control were given particular attention. Nevertheless it was a stated design goal to 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&nbsp;mm RHA equivalency, the higher level at the same time protecting against shaped charges.<ref>"First light on the LECLERC", ''Military Technology No. 4/86'', pp 82-83</ref>
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The hull of the Leclerc is modular and composed of several layers of shielding. One of its most interesting features is that the designers of Leclerc, unlike most of the tanks of the Western countries chose to incorporate a system for automatic loading of the main armament, which reduced the tank crew of four for only three.
  
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[[Image:Leclerc-IMG 1720.jpg|left|thumb|The gunner's position, looking down from the turret roof.]]
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Partnership with a foreign state was sought to limit the cost per unit, and this was found when the [[United Arab Emirates]] ordered 436 vehicles, adding to the 426 units already planned for the French Army.
   
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In 1986, the project was started under the name of "Leclerc", six prototypes being built swiftly. Mass production started in 1990 with the four-unit first batch, used mainly for comparative tests in foreign countries. The 17 units of batches 2 and 3 were shipped, with improvements in the turret and in the hull armour. These units were diagnosed with problems in the engine and suspension, and were quickly retired.
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Besides the driver of the vehicle that sits in front and left the other two crew members are setting themselves up in the tower. The power system of automatic cannon, has 22 ammunition ready to fire, a total of 40 who are transported.
  
   
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Batches 4 and 5 were better built, eliminating the recurrent problems in the powerplant, and are still in service, after having been refitted at the end of the 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 was a modernisation of the electronic system, and batch 9 replaced the visor with a [[SAGEM]] Iris system with thermal imaging, which allows acquisition of targets at a greater range.
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Cadence maximum burst up to 10 shots per minute with the vehicle stationary and six shots per minute with the moving vehicle. The tank also has a 12.7 mm machine gun placed on the tower and operated by remote control.
  
   
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All previous batches will be modernised up to the standards of batch 9 from 2005. In 2004, batch 10 was presented, incorporating new information systems which could share the disposition of enemy and friendly units to all vehicles and new armour. This is the beginning of the 96-unit third series. By 2007, 355 tanks should be operational, 320 of them incorporated in four regiments, each of 80 Leclerc vehicles.
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The Leclerc has hydropneumatic suspension systems, automatic fire suppression and has the capacity to carry an extra fuel tank.
  
   
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As of 2010 after a French defence review each of the 4 regiments operates 60 Leclerc tanks for a total of 240 in operational units with a further 100 Leclercs in combat ready reserve.
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The Leclerc is equivalent in terms of military value to other European systems as [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_2 Leopard 2] The [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Challenger_2 Challenger 2] or [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariete_(Carro_de_Combate) Ariete] Italian<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2">[http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMX-56_Leclerc#cite_note-2 [3]]</sup>. The end of the Cold War led to the operational units were reduced and the number of tanks needed.
  
   
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The four regiments are:
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The Leclerc is, however, considered too expensive, complex and sophisticated for the needs of France. To keep vehicles operating at the highest standards of [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTAN NATO] Requires the continuous maintenance that these standards require, and that leads to it has reduced considerably the number of tanks actually available to the service.
  
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*[[1st-11th Cuirassier Regiment|1er-11e Régiment de Cuirassiers]] stationed in [[Carnoux-en-Provence]], part of the [[3rd Mechanised Brigade (France)|3rd Mechanised Brigade]].
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*[[6th-12th Cuirassier Regiment|6e-12e Régiment de Cuirassiers]] stationed near Orléans, part of the [[2nd Armoured Brigade (France)|2nd Armoured Brigade]].
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*1er-2e Régiment de Chasseurs stationed near Verdun, part of the [[7th Armoured Brigade (France)|7th Armoured Brigade]].
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*[[501st-503rd Tank Regiment|501e-503e Régiment de Chars de Combat]] stationed in [[Mourmelon-le-Grand]], [[1st Mechanised Brigade (France)|1st Mechanised Brigade]].
   
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==Characteristics==
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Although Leclerc tanks have been undergoing modifications and upgrades to their systems of combat, part of the vehicles has not been subjected to modernization and remained in storage, awaiting future upgrades.
  
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===Armament===
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[[Image:Leclerc-IMG 1763.jpg|thumb|right|Note the commanders sight on the right and gunners sight on the left side of the picture.]]
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The Leclerc is equipped with a GIAT (Nexter) CN120-26 120mm smoothbore cannon. This cannon is theoretically capable of firing the same [[NATO]] standard 120mm rounds as the German [[Leopard 2]] and US [[M1 Abrams]], but in practice only custom French-produced ammunition is issued. The gun is insulated with a thermal sleeve and has an automatic compressed air fume extraction system instead of the usual bore evacuator. The Leclerc has a unique autoloading system which was specifically designed for it, and reduces the crew to three by eliminating the human loader. The turret of the Leclerc was designed around the [[auto-loading system]] in order to avoid the problems common to other tanks with an autoloader. The Leclerc autoloader allows a rate of fire of 12 shots per minute and holds 22 rounds of ready ammunition; it can accommodate up to five different types of ammunition at once, although like most autoloader systems it cannot change ammunition types once a round has been loaded. The most common types are the armour piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot ([[KE-penetrator|APFSDS]]) with a tungsten core and the [[high explosive anti-tank]] (HEAT) round. There are 18 other rounds available for reload. A Leclerc tank can fire while traveling at a speed of 50&nbsp;km/h on a target 4,000 metres away. The gun is 52 [[Caliber (artillery)|calibre]]s long instead of the 44 calibres common on most tanks of the Leclerc's generation,<ref name=TGelbart /> giving the rounds a higher muzzle velocity.
   
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The Leclerc is also equipped with a 12.7&nbsp;mm coaxial machine gun and a remote-controlled 7.62mm antiaircraft machine gun, whereas most other NATO tanks use 7.62mm weapons for both their coaxial and top machine gun mounts; the major exception is the American M1 Abrams, which has a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and two top-mounted machine guns, one 7.62mm and one 12.7mm.
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At the end of [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009 2009] the French authorities have proposed to sell [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col%C3%B4mbia Colombia] a number between 30 and 40 units of this car to fight, after making a modernization that would make the vehicle operational.
  
   
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===Protection===
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[[Image:Leclerc-0090.jpg|thumb|left|External fuel tanks mounted on the rear of the Leclerc.]]
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The Leclerc has the Galix combat vehicle protection system from [[GIAT]], which fires a variety of [[smoke grenade]]s and infra red screening rounds, as well as [[anti-personnel]] grenades.
   
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The hull and the turret are made of welded steel fitted with modular armour, which can be replaced easily for repair or upgraded over the years. The French army in the late seventies rejected [[Chobham armour]] as being overly specialised in its optimisation to defeat [[hollow charge]]-weapons; it therefore opted to develop a steel [[perforated armour]] system, comparable to that on the early [[Leopard 2]]. When the Leclerc was introduced in the early nineties this was still considered adequate, due to the larger thickness of its modules compared to the armour of other modern western tanks, made possible — for a given weight limit — by the compact design of the tank as a whole. However during the nineties standards for tank armour protection increased, as exemplified by the Leopard 2A5, its main rival on the export market, being fitted with an additional spaced armour system. Thus it was decided to follow the Germans ([[Leopard 2A4]]) and British ([[Challenger 2]]) in their application of a titanium-tungsten system, which was introduced to the Leclerc in 2001, in Batch 10. The inner spaces are filled with [[NERA (armour)|NERA]].
   
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===Fire control and observation===
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==Shield==
  
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[[File:Leclerc mg 7754.jpg|thumb|]]
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'''NERA''' (Non-Explosive Reactive Armor) And the word in English for the Portuguese meaning (Non-Explosive Reactive Blingadem).
  
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The Leclerc has a FINDERS battle management system and an ICONE TIS digital communication system which integrates data from other tanks and upper levels of command.
   
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The Leclerc' digital fire control system can be operated independently by the gunner or the commander, and it offers real time integrated imaging from all of the tank's sensors and sights, including the gunner's SAVAN 20 stabilised sight, developed by SAGEM and the driver's night/day OB-60 vision system from Thales Optrosys. The system can track six targets concurrently and is very much like a similar system made by the same company for the Challenger 2 tank of the United Kingdom.
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The non-explosive reactive armor, uses a similar principle to the traditional reactive armor, with the difference that the central element between the two plates making up the sandwich, did not contain any element [http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosivo explosive]But an inert element such as a rubber type that reacts in the presence of metal flow produced by an ammunition deformable warhead. This reaction increases the thickness of protection in the area of impact, thus reducing the effect of the load.
  
   
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===Propulsion===
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This type of screening is, however, only effective against ammunition deformable warhead (or chemical energy) and no use against kinetic energy ammunition '''APFDS''', Piercing high speed.
  
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The Leclerc has an eight-cylinder, [[Wärtsilä]] (ex SACM) V8X-1500 1,500&nbsp;hp Hyperbar [[diesel engine]] and a [http://www.renk.newsfactory.de/cms_media/objekte/267-ESM_500.pdf SESM ESM500] [[automatic transmission]], with five forward and two reverse gears. The official maximum speed by road is 72&nbsp;km/h and 55&nbsp;km/h cross country (speeds in excess of 80&nbsp;km/h were reported on road). The maximum range is given as 550&nbsp;km, and can be extended to 650&nbsp;km with removable external tanks. The "hyperbar" system integrates a [[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.
   
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At a combat weight of just 56 tons, the Leclerc is one of the lightest main battle tanks in the world; this gives it one of the best power-to-weight ratios among the Western tanks (27&nbsp;hp per tonne) and makes it one of the fastest MBTs of its generation (0 to 32&nbsp;km/h in 5 seconds).
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Furthermore, it is protected with an advanced modular armor. It is a combination of armor steel, ceramic and Kevlar. Damaged modules are easily replaced. Furthermore, they can be easily upgraded with modules more advanced than their originals. The tower, the roof and hull designed to withstand firing small cannon and missile anti-tank RPG. The chassis of the tank is covered with side skirts made of the same material the hull.
  
   
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The engine exhaust, exiting at the rear left, is cooled to reduce the thermal signature of the tank. [[Transmission (mechanics)|Transmission]] is a hydromechanical type with five forward and two reverse gears. Fuel tanks carry 1,300 litres and act as extra protection; two 200-litre external tanks can be fitted on the rear of the turret, but have to be jettisoned before entering combat since they limit turret rotation.
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The main electrical systems have been duplicated to improve the survival of the crew, such as sprinklers and fire protection system '''NBC''' (Acronym For Nuclear, Bacteriological, Chemical)
 
   
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The gear box is equipped with a hydrokinetic [[Retarder (mechanical engineering)|retarder]] which can slow the Leclerc down at a deceleration rate of 7 m/s² (0.7 g) which can be very useful at the last moment before it could be hit. The crew must be strapped in safely by their harnesses to use this.
   
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[[Image:Leclerc-openphotonet PICT6015.JPG|thumb|right|A Leclerc on manoeuvres.]]
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==Combat experience==
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While having no notable experience in true warzone environments, the Leclerc has seen deployment on multiple low-intensity conflicts, including 15 Leclercs stationed in [[Kosovo]] in the context of UN peace-keeping operations, where their performance was judged satisfactory by French officials.
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Currently 13 Leclercs are deployed in the south Lebanon for a peacekeeping mission with the [[UNIFIL]].
   
 
==Variants==
  
==Variants==
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*Leclerc AZUR (Action in Urban Zone), a special version optimized for urban operations. The vehicle is equipped with a package of enhanced protection mainly against systems '''RPGs''' and '''DEI''' Improvised explosive device.
  
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*DNG armored recovery;
  
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*EPG armored vehicle engineering;
  
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*DTT tank driver training.
  
   
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series 1:
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* [[Leclerc T1 and T2]]: the pre-production variant. was only built in 17 copies.
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* [[Leclerc T3, T4 and T5]]: the final production configuration. 132 vehicles were built between 1992 and 1996.
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series 2:
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* [[Leclerc T6 to T8]]: have an added air conditioning system on the back roof of the turret, and an extra splash guard added to the front hull.
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* [[Leclerc T9]]: Athos thermal camera replaced with a new thermal camera called Iris.
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series 3(XXI):
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* [[Leclerc T10 and T11]]:this variant has an added command display, similar to the American IVIS, and German TCCS. it has also improved armour, which eliminates ballistic holes found in the previous variants.
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* [[Leclerc AZUR]]:''Action en Zone Urbaine'', "Improve fighting ability in urban environments"
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* [[Engin Principal du Génie|Leclerc EPG]]: ''Engin Principal du Génie'', "main engineering vehicle": armoured engineering
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* [[Char de dépannage DNG/DCL|Leclerc DNG]]: ''Dépanneur Nouvelle Génération'': repair tank
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* [[Leclerc MARS]]: ''Moyen Adapté de Remorquage Spécifique'': [[Armoured recovery vehicle]]
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[[Image:Char Leclerc Emirati 001.jpg|thumb|Leclerc used by the Army Forces of United Arab Emirates.]]
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* Leclerc EAU: "Tropicalised" version of the United Arab Emirates; it is fitted with:
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** [[EuroPowerPack]] with the [[MTU 883]] diesel engine of 1,100&nbsp;kW. The United Arab Emirates have interests in the German company which builds them ([[MTU Friedrichshafen|MTU]]) and preferred an engine of their own. This powerplant is more reliable than the French UDV 8X (1,100 kW), though it has small problems with the [[clutch]]{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}}.
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** Externally mounted [[auxiliary power unit]]
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** Remote-controlled mount for 7.62&nbsp;mm machine-gun, allowing under-armour operation
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** Completely automated driving and turret functions, for use by crew with only basic training.
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** Mechanical air-conditioning, to cool the tank without the use of electric current which could reveal the position of the tank
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==Operators==
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=== Current Operators ===
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* {{flag|France}}: 406 + 20 armoured recovery vehicles. May retire 82 early model Leclercs from service.<ref name="Army Tech">[http://www.army-technology.com/projects/leclerc/ Army Technology - Leclerc - Main Battle Tank<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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* {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}: 388 + 46 armoured recovery vehicles<ref name="Army Tech">[http://www.army-technology.com/projects/leclerc/ Army Technology - Leclerc - Main Battle Tank<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> + 2 driver training tanks
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==References==
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{{reflist}}
  +
*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==
  +
{{Commons|Leclerc}}
  +
* {{fr icon}} [http://www.chars-francais.net/archives/leclerc.htm www.chars-francais.net] (in French; numerous photographs, including interior)
  +
* [http://www.defense-update.com/products/l/leclerc.htm Leclerc program update]
  +
* [http://www.army-technology.com/projects/leclerc Leclerc article at Army-technology.com]
  +
* [http://www.axlbox.de/kpz/vt/leclerc_eng.html Detailed description of the Char Leclerc at www.kampfpanzer.de] (English/German)
  +
* [http://www.peachmountain.com/5star/Museum_Tanks_Musee_des_Blindes_Saumur_LeClerc.asp Leclerc tank photos @ 5 Star General site]
  +
*[http://www.axlbox.de/SITEFORUM?i=1223468482232&b=1223468482232&t=/Default/vts&cards=1&iid=1234621039905&l=0&xref=http://www.google.no/search%3Frlz%3D1C1CHNU_enNO332NO332%26sourceid%3Dchrome%26ie%3DUTF-8%26q%3Dleclerc+T10+XXI]
  +
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{{French Army Vehicle}}
   
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[[Category:Tanks of France]]
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==Specifications==
  
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[[Category:Main battle tanks]]
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[[Category:Tanks of the post-Cold War period]]
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[[Category:Nexter]]
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[[Category:Autoloaders]]
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{{Link GA|ar}}
   
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[[ar:لوكلير]]
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{| border="1" class="infobox" style="width: 250px; font-size: 90%"
  
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[[ca:AMX-56 Leclerc]]
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!Number built
  
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[[cs:Leclerc]]
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|794 including all variations
  
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[[de:Leclerc (Panzer)]]
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|-
  
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[[es:AMX-56 Leclerc]]
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!Range:
  
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[[eo:Leclerc]]
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|550 km
  
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[[fr:Char AMX Leclerc]]
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|-
  
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[[ko:AMX-56 르클레르]]
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!Shield:
  
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[[hr:Leclerc]]
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|'''NERA''' Non-explosive reactive Blingadem
  
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[[it:Leclerc (carro armato)]]
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|-
  
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[[he:לקלרק (טנק)]]
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!Primary armament
  
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[[ka:ლეკლერკი (ტანკი)]]
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|1 x 120mm CN-120/52 (Size: 120mm - Scope estimated 6.5km to 6.5km)
  
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[[lb:Leclerc Tanks]]
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|-
  
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[[hu:Leclerc]]
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!Secondary Weapons:
  
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[[ms:Leclerc]]
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|Browning M2 Remotely controlled .50 caliber.
  
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[[nl:Leclerc]]
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|- class="hiddenStructure'''Velocidade''' Velocidade máxima: : 71 Km/h - Velocidade em terreno irregular: 35 Km/h."
  
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[[ja:ルクレール]]
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| colspan="2"|'''Speed''' Maximum speed: 71 km / h - Speed over rough terrain: 35 km / h.
  
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[[no:Leclerc]]
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|}
  
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[[pl:AMX-56 Leclerc]]
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[[File:1549606696_ddf458a8f9.jpg|thumb|left|400px]]
  
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[[pt:AMX-56 Leclerc]]
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[[Category:Main Battle Tanks]]
  
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[[ru:Леклерк (танк)]]
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[[Category:Tanks]]
  
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[[sl:Leclerc]]
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[[fi:Leclerc]]
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[[sv:Leclerc]]
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[[tr:Leclerc]]
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[[vi:Xe tăng Leclerc]]
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[[zh:勒克萊爾主戰坦克]]

Revision as of 19:58, 2 August 2010

For people named Leclerc and Le Clerc, see LeClerc (surname). For the French hypermarket chain, see E.Leclerc.

Template:FixBunching

Leclerc
Leclerc-IMG 1744-b
Demonstration of a Leclerc tank in Paris, on the 14th of July 2006
Type Main battle tank
Place of origin Flag of France France
Service history
In service 1992– present
Used by See Operators
Production history
Manufacturer GIAT Industries (now Nexter)
Unit cost ₣ 29,000,000 in 1993
Produced 1990–2008
No. built ~862
Specifications
Mass 54.5 tonnes[1]
Length 9.87 m (6.88 without gun[1])
Width 3.71 m[1]
Height 2.53 m[1]
Crew 3[1] (Commander, gunner, driver)
Armour Steel, titanium, NERA
Main
armament
 GIAT CN120-26/52, 120mm tank gun[1]
40 rounds (1 round ready to fire in the chamber, 22 rounds inside the autoloader magazine with additional 18 rounds in the chassis)
Secondary
armament
 12.7 mm coaxial M2HB machine gun
1,100 rounds
7.62mm machine gun
3,000 rounds
Engine 8-cylinder diesel Wärtsilä
1,500 hp[1] (1,100 kW)
Power/weight 27.52 hp/tonne[1]
Transmission Automatic SESM ESM500
Suspension hydropneumatic
Operational
range
 550 km, 650 km (400 mi) with external fuel[1]
Maximum speed 71 km/h (44 mph)[1]

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Post-Cold War tanks
Under 120 mm gun
Under 50 tonnes
Over 50 tonnes
Not in service


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The Leclerc is a main battle tank (MBT) built by Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque who led the French element of the drive towards Paris while in command of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division (2ème DB) in World War II.

The Leclerc is in service with the French Army and the army of the United Arab Emirates. In production since 1991,[1] the Leclerc entered French service in 1992,[1] replacing the venerable AMX 30 as the country's main armoured platform. With production now complete, the French Army has a total of 406 Leclercs and the United Arab Emirates Army has 388.

History

In 1964 studies were initiated about a possible replacement vehicle for the AMX 30: 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 that in 1977 agreed on a list of specifications. In February 1980 however, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Federal Republic of 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). Importation of foreign equipment, like the M1 Abrams, the Leopard 2, or the Merkava had been studied and rejected.[2]

In contrast with most Western programmes of the time, much consideration was given to active, besides passive protection, to limit the overall mass of the vehicle. Mobility for evading incoming fire and firing control were given particular attention. Nevertheless it was a stated design goal to 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 at the same time protecting against shaped charges.[3]

Leclerc-IMG 1720

The gunner's position, looking down from the turret roof.

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

In 1986, the project was started under the name of "Leclerc", six prototypes being built swiftly. Mass production started in 1990 with the four-unit first batch, used mainly for comparative tests in foreign countries. The 17 units of batches 2 and 3 were shipped, with improvements in the turret and in the hull armour. These units were diagnosed with problems in the engine and suspension, and were quickly retired.

Batches 4 and 5 were better built, eliminating the recurrent problems in the powerplant, and are still in service, after having been refitted at the end of the 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 was a modernisation of the electronic system, and batch 9 replaced the visor with a SAGEM Iris system with thermal imaging, which allows acquisition of targets at a greater range.

All previous batches will be modernised up to the standards of batch 9 from 2005. In 2004, batch 10 was presented, incorporating new information systems which could share the disposition of enemy and friendly units to all vehicles and new armour. This is the beginning of the 96-unit third series. By 2007, 355 tanks should be operational, 320 of them incorporated in four regiments, each of 80 Leclerc vehicles.

As of 2010 after a French defence review each of the 4 regiments operates 60 Leclerc tanks for a total of 240 in operational units with a further 100 Leclercs in combat ready reserve.

The four regiments are:

Characteristics

Armament

Leclerc-IMG 1763

Note the commanders sight on the right and gunners sight on the left side of the picture.

The Leclerc is equipped with a GIAT (Nexter) CN120-26 120mm smoothbore cannon. This cannon is theoretically capable of firing the same NATO standard 120mm rounds as the German Leopard 2 and US M1 Abrams, but in practice only custom French-produced ammunition is issued. The gun is insulated with a thermal sleeve and has an automatic compressed air fume extraction system instead of the usual bore evacuator. The Leclerc has a unique autoloading system which was specifically designed for it, and reduces the crew to three by eliminating the human loader. The turret of the Leclerc was designed around the auto-loading system in order to avoid the problems common to other tanks with an autoloader. The Leclerc autoloader allows a rate of fire of 12 shots per minute and holds 22 rounds of ready ammunition; it can accommodate up to five different types of ammunition at once, although like most autoloader systems it cannot change ammunition types once a round has been loaded. The most common types are the armour piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) with a tungsten core and the high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round. There are 18 other rounds available for reload. A Leclerc tank can fire while traveling at a speed of 50 km/h on a target 4,000 metres away. The gun is 52 calibres long instead of the 44 calibres common on most tanks of the Leclerc's generation,[1] giving the rounds a higher muzzle velocity.

The Leclerc is also equipped with a 12.7 mm coaxial machine gun and a remote-controlled 7.62mm antiaircraft machine gun, whereas most other NATO tanks use 7.62mm weapons for both their coaxial and top machine gun mounts; the major exception is the American M1 Abrams, which has a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and two top-mounted machine guns, one 7.62mm and one 12.7mm.

Protection

File:Leclerc-0090.jpg

External fuel tanks mounted on the rear of the Leclerc.

The Leclerc has the Galix combat vehicle protection system from GIAT, which fires a variety of smoke grenades and infra red screening rounds, as well as anti-personnel grenades.

The hull and the turret are made of welded steel fitted with modular armour, which can be replaced easily for repair or upgraded over the years. The French army in the late seventies rejected Chobham armour as being overly specialised in its optimisation to defeat hollow charge-weapons; it therefore opted to develop a steel perforated armour system, comparable to that on the early Leopard 2. When the Leclerc was introduced in the early nineties this was still considered adequate, due to the larger thickness of its modules compared to the armour of other modern western tanks, made possible — for a given weight limit — by the compact design of the tank as a whole. However during the nineties standards for tank armour protection increased, as exemplified by the Leopard 2A5, its main rival on the export market, being fitted with an additional spaced armour system. Thus it was decided to follow the Germans (Leopard 2A4) and British (Challenger 2) in their application of a titanium-tungsten system, which was introduced to the Leclerc in 2001, in Batch 10. The inner spaces are filled with NERA.

Fire control and observation

Leclerc mg 7754

The Leclerc has a FINDERS battle management system and an ICONE TIS digital communication system which integrates data from other tanks and upper levels of command.

The Leclerc' digital fire control system can be operated independently by the gunner or the commander, and it offers real time integrated imaging from all of the tank's sensors and sights, including the gunner's SAVAN 20 stabilised sight, developed by SAGEM and the driver's night/day OB-60 vision system from Thales Optrosys. The system can track six targets concurrently and is very much like a similar system made by the same company for the Challenger 2 tank of the United Kingdom.

Propulsion

The Leclerc has an eight-cylinder, Wärtsilä (ex SACM) V8X-1500 1,500 hp Hyperbar diesel engine and a SESM ESM500 automatic transmission, with five forward and two reverse gears. The official maximum speed by road is 72 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 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.

At a combat weight of just 56 tons, the Leclerc is one of the lightest main battle tanks in the world; this gives it one of the best power-to-weight ratios among the Western tanks (27 hp per tonne) 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 tank. Transmission is a hydromechanical type with five forward and two reverse gears. Fuel tanks carry 1,300 litres and act as extra protection; two 200-litre external tanks can be fitted on the rear of the turret, but have to be jettisoned before entering combat since they limit turret rotation.

The gear box is equipped with a hydrokinetic retarder which can slow the Leclerc down at a deceleration rate of 7 m/s² (0.7 g) which can be very useful at the last moment before it could be hit. The crew must be strapped in safely by their harnesses to use this.

Leclerc-openphotonet PICT6015

A Leclerc on manoeuvres.

Combat experience

While having no notable experience in true warzone environments, the Leclerc has seen deployment on multiple low-intensity conflicts, including 15 Leclercs stationed in Kosovo in the context of UN peace-keeping operations, where their performance was judged satisfactory by French officials.

Currently 13 Leclercs are deployed in the south Lebanon for a peacekeeping mission with the UNIFIL.

Variants

series 1:

  • Leclerc T1 and T2: the pre-production variant. was only built in 17 copies.
  • Leclerc T3, T4 and T5: the final production configuration. 132 vehicles were built between 1992 and 1996.

series 2:

  • Leclerc T6 to T8: have an added air conditioning system on the back roof of the turret, and an extra splash guard added to the front hull.
  • Leclerc T9: Athos thermal camera replaced with a new thermal camera called Iris.

series 3(XXI):

  • Leclerc T10 and T11:this variant has an added command display, similar to the American IVIS, and German TCCS. it has also improved armour, which eliminates ballistic holes found in the previous variants.
  • Leclerc AZUR:Action en Zone Urbaine, "Improve fighting ability in urban environments"
  • Leclerc EPG: Engin Principal du Génie, "main engineering vehicle": armoured engineering
  • Leclerc DNG: Dépanneur Nouvelle Génération: repair tank
  • Leclerc MARS: Moyen Adapté de Remorquage Spécifique: Armoured recovery vehicle
Char Leclerc Emirati 001

Leclerc used by the Army Forces of United Arab Emirates.

  • Leclerc EAU: "Tropicalised" version of the United Arab Emirates; it is fitted with:
    • EuroPowerPack with the MTU 883 diesel engine of 1,100 kW. The United Arab Emirates have interests in the German company which builds them (MTU) and preferred an engine of their own. This powerplant is more reliable than the French UDV 8X (1,100 kW), though it has small problems with the clutch[citation needed].
    • Externally mounted auxiliary power unit
    • Remote-controlled mount for 7.62 mm machine-gun, allowing under-armour operation
    • Completely automated driving and turret functions, for use by crew with only basic training.
    • Mechanical air-conditioning, to cool the tank without the use of electric current which could reveal the position of the tank

Operators

Current Operators

  • Flag of France France: 406 + 20 armoured recovery vehicles. May retire 82 early model Leclercs from service.[4]
  • Flag of the United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates: 388 + 46 armoured recovery vehicles[4] + 2 driver training tanks

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Gelbart, Marsh (1996). Tanks main battle and light tanks. Brassey’s UK Ltd. pp. 28–29. ISBN 185753168X. 
  2. ↑ Enrico Po, 1990, "The AMX LECLERC: French Armour Enters the 21st Century", Military Technology No. 9/90, pp. 79-86
  3. ↑ "First light on the LECLERC", Military Technology No. 4/86, pp 82-83
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Army Technology - Leclerc - Main Battle Tank
  • 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

Commons-Logo Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leclerc.
Armoured cavalry
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