AMX-56 Leclerc

AMX-56 History of Leclerc

The AMX-56 "Leclerc" has become the pinnacle of French main battle tank design in the modern world. It represents the current main battle tank of the French Army, and it offers a powerful solution to the needs of French armored forces - albeit complex and ultimately expensive.

Despite its modern qualities and promising specs, the AMX-56 Leclerc remains largely untried on the modern battlefield - at least as a main battle tank, while its comparable western sisters - German Leopard 2, American M1 Abram Essex and the British Challenger 2 - gave up a good look at himself in various operations. Leclerc has seen practical use in peacekeeping operations in Kosovo (where both French and Emirati Leclercs feature) and Lebanon. At the time of its creation, the Leclerc was the first main battle tank produced on French soil in over 30 years, which in part marked it as a symbol of national pride.

So far, the Leclerc has only been used by France and the United Arab Emirates, which have also been involved in part of the project's development and manufacturing costs.

As early as the mid-1960s, the French authorities were reviewing their armored forces (led at the time by the AMX-30 B2 main battle tank, contemporary with the American M60A3 Patton, German Leopard 1 and British Chieftain). And found their power lacking against the rising Soviet type. So, even as the AMX-30 began to gain a foothold in the French army's inventory, work on a more modern solution began. Requirements were refined in the 1970s, after which Germany and France began a joint main battle tank program in 1980 to replace their respective stockpiles of legacy Leopard 1 and AMX-30s. The goal of the collaboration was to keep development and production costs to a minimum, while creating a modern solution that is both reliable and logistically friendly.

However, like most cross-border MBT development initiatives, this partnership ended in failure as the parties went their separate ways. The Germans continued to produce their superb Leopard 2 series of vehicles, while the French insisted on their own design from 1983, known as the AMX-48/"Engin de Combat Principal" or "ECP".

Over a long period of time, various development components were tested and further developed before the first real prototype (and five others) were realized in 1989. After formal testing by the French Army, the new tank - now known as the "AMX-54" - was accepted into service. Production began in 1990 (turret components at GIAT Tarbes, fuselage and final assembly at GIAT Roanne), deliveries began in 1991, and official service began in 1992. The tank was named "Leclerc" after French general Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, who commanded the Free French Army (2nd Panzer Division) during World War II to the German-occupied Paris troops (final liberation).

Procurement of the tank was awarded to the UAE in 1993, and the UAE military began official operational use in 1996.

The performance of the Leclerc range is ensured by the use of the SACM UDU V8X T9 high pressure 8-cylinder diesel engine with an impressive 1,500 hp. This engine is matched to the SESM ESM500 series automatic transmission. This allows the tank to reach road speeds of 44 mph on ideal surfaces, and less off-road (up to about 30 mph in this regard). The Leclerc has a range of 340 miles, although an external fuel reservoir can be added outside the rear fuselage for a range of 400 miles. All of these performance qualities ensure that the tank can keep up - or as the case may be - leading mechanized troops into battle, while its speed can also be considered as a defensive tactic.

At idle, the Leclerc operates with minimal power from the onboard Turbomeca TM-7038 gas turbine engine used to power various vehicle functions, stall the main engine and minimize the acoustic and visual signature of the fuel tank.

Leclerc has released several variants since its inception. Developed and produced the Leclerc T1 and T2 brands, which are pre-production mounts delivered in 17 examples. The Leclerc T3, T4 and T5 production quality marks were produced between 1992 and 1996, with approximately 132 types completed.

The Leclerc T6, T7 and T8 brands received air conditioners designed to operate in high temperature environments. The Leclerc T9 is equipped with the updated thermal imaging system IRIS. The Leclerc brand T10 and T11 have been modernized with a command display and improved armor protection.

The Leclerc AZUR became an improved Leclerc tank designed for urban combat, a combat environment very different from the "open war" expected by MBT in the past. Defense-focused moves like this also welcome other tank types like M1 Abrams and Leopard 2.

In addition to the combat version, the Leclerc chassis has become the basis for a series of related vehicles designed for various roles on the battlefield. These include the Leclerc EPG armored engineering vehicle, the Leclerc DNG battlefield maintenance vehicle and the Leclerc MARS armored recovery vehicle.

While these types of vehicles typically lose their direct role in combat, they are modified with appropriate equipment (bulldozers, powered winches, etc.) to help fulfill their stated duties.

The UAE Leclerc tank has been slightly modified for high temperature operation in desert environments and is equipped with a German-made MTU 883 diesel engine, an external auxiliary power unit (APU) and a roof-mounted 7.62 remote control system-mm machine gun (allowing for full" Fired weapons when buckled) and other minor changes/improvements to suit the needs of the UAE military.

To date, approximately 862 Leclerc tanks have been built. The French military used 426 of them (406 MBTs and 20 ARVs), while the UAE used 436 (388 MBTs, 46 ARVs and 2 trainers). While the tank was originally manufactured under the GIAT Industries brand label, it is now under the Nexter brand.

Nexter also manufactures the French Army's FAMAS assault rifle, FRF2 sniper rifle, LG1 Mk II 105mm towed field gun and VBCI 8-wheel infantry fighting vehicle. Qatar has been mentioned as a possible contender to receive the French Leclerc, although these are from existing French stock and not a "new build" model. There has never been a similar procurement agreement with Colombian authorities between the governments involved.

The French Army manages approximately 254 Leclerc tanks in four active regiments and reserve battalions.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

40 x 120 mm projectile.

1,100 x 12.7mm ammunition.

3,000 x 7.62mm ammo.

27 x Smoke/Anti-Personnel (AP) Grenades.

Changes