AMX-56 Leclerc
| Leclerc | |
|---|---|
Demonstration of a Leclerc tank in Paris, on Bastille Day, July 14 in 2006
|
|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1993–present |
| Wars | Yemeni Civil War (2015) |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1983–1989 |
| Manufacturer | GIAT Industries (now Nexter) |
| Unit cost | ₣rs104,304,000 in 1993, US$4+million in 2016 |
| Produced | 1990–2008 (The last unit was produced in 2007 and the production line was closed, although Nexter retains the capability to build more if there is a need) |
| No. built | ≈862 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight |
series 1: 54.5 tonnes series 2: 56.3 tonnes series XXI : 57.4 tonnes |
| Length | 9.87 m (6.88 without gun) |
| Width | 3.60 m |
| Height | 2.53 m |
| Crew | 3 (Commander, gunner, driver) |
|
|
|
| Armour | modular composite armor SXXI version include titanium, tungsten and semi-reactive layers. |
|
Main
armament |
GIAT CN120-26/52 120mm tank gun 40 rounds (1 round ready to fire in the chamber, 22 rounds inside the autoloader magazine with additional 18 rounds cylinder in the hull) |
|
Secondary
armament |
|
| Engine | 8-cylinder diesel SACM (Wärtsilä) 1,100 kW (1,500 hp) |
| Power/weight | 27.52 hp/tonne |
| Transmission | Automatic SESM ESM 500 |
| Suspension | hydropneumatic |
| Fuel capacity | 1300 liters (1700 ℓ with fuel drums) |
|
Operational
range |
550 km, 650 km (400 mi) with external fuel |
| Speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) |
The Char Leclerc is a main battle tank (MBT) built by GIAT, now 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 (2e 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, the Leclerc entered French service in 1992, replacing the AMX 30 as the country's main armoured platform. With production now complete, the French Army has a total of 406 Leclerc and the United Arab Emirates Army has 388. The price in 2011 was €9.3 million, which made it the most expensive tank in history at the time. Following the devaluation of the Euro its price fell dramatically, and in 2014 the K2 Black Panther surpassed the Leclerc's price record.
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.
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