The MBT Leclerc marks a giant step into the future for the French Army,which based its strength on the AMX-30 for over 30 years. With this new tank France is now more than equal with any other Western tank developer.
VERSIONS
Leclerc Prototypes
The development started in the early 1970s, as the USA worked on its XM1and Germany on the Leopard 2. France realized that the so far used AMX-30 was powerful enough for tank threats of the time, but not for the newly developed Soviet tanks like the T-64 and the T-72. Those new vehicles were equipped with very strong armour and a powerful main gun.
In 1977 a requirement catalogue was written for the development of a new MBT under the name EPC (Engine Principal de Combat). The first task was to research the latest Western tank models like the XM1, Leopard 2 and Merkava, but they did not meet French requirements.
The next step, then, was the starting of a joint venture with Germany in 1979. Germany placed its new MBT in series production at this time and was looking for a first upgrade package. So it offered a project based on the Leopard 2 hull for a common project. France considered the powerful German construction, but also had to take into account its
disadvantages.
At the end no conclusion could be found and the countries decided to go their separate ways. For France that meant starting a new research project including all current tanks, from the AMX-13 to the AMX-40, plus foreign vehicles.
The research started with an investigation of several concepts with varying engine layout/placing, or crew configuration. A contract was made with West Germany for the development of a common ammunition type for the 120mm gun, later fielded only in France. Also from Germany came the concept of a new engine. A prototype had been tested from MTU Friedrichshafen previously, but a decision was made that its disadvantages were too great. France purchased this engine and brought it into service several years later.
After extensive discussion of all the different features of a future
MBT, decisions were made about several basic functions which made it, even at that early point, into one of the most advanced tank projects yet. In opposition to other Western tanks, the emphasis was not placed on particularly strong armour, because this would make the vehicle too large and heavy. Instead, a high level of passive security was the focus of the new development, starting with high maneuverability and ending with an extremely powerful fire-control system.
It was apparent that the development of a new vehicle would be too expensive for the Armиe de Terre, so a partner was needed. It was found with the United Arab Emirates, which ordered 380 vehicles, rising to 390 plus 45 ARVs. Together with the 426 tanks planed for France this is a relatively large number for a European project, which makes the cost per tank correspondingly low.
In 1986 the project got the name Leclerc and in the same year testing of pre production vehicles came to an end, and production of prototypes started. These differed in armour, armament, propulsion and guidance systems. At the same time, research for later series production started.
Leclerc T1
First Apperance: 1990
Series production of Char Leclerc started in 1990. It was decided to make at least two series including several lots. Naming of the vehicles can be done in two ways, by using the lot number or by using the series.
The T1 (Tranche 1) is the first lot, and can also be called version 1.1. The other way round, version 2.2 is also called T7, which is the secondlot of series two.
The first lot was used for service testing and for comparison with
foreign tanks. The first of those tests was in 1990 in Great Britain,
where the Challenger was shown as the superior tank, but the Leclerc was in an early state of development at that stage.
In total five T1 have been build, which differ totally in configuration. A normal smoke grenade system has been used at the beginning, that was later replaced by the Galix self-defence system. All five T1 can be identified by names written on the lower glacis. The tanks are ARES, BAYARD, CARNOT, DUROC and ESTIENNE.
Leclerc T2
With the second lot a more advanced turret design was fielded. Extra armour was mounted at the turret front, and a GALIX self defense system was used. Normal smoke grenade launchers were not applied anymore.
From the first two lots, 17 vehicles were produced, which are no longer in service. They are now used for testing new technologies at the Giat. An additional, 13th T2 was used for penetration tests. This vehicle has been completely disassembled after testing and is not anymore available.
Leclerc T3
First Apperance: 1993
This third lot was delivered from 1993 to the French tank school. The vehicles differed in side skirts at the frontal hull. Moreover the skirts were enlarged by the adding of a rubber layer.
The T3 was used for tank trials in Sweden, where defects at the engine and the suspension were found.
Leclerc T4
With this lot the problems with the engine were solved. It was shown that the main problem stemmed from a too-sensitive motor control unit, which was being alerted too early to dirt in the fuel or oil cycles, when there was not yet any danger to the engine or transmission. It was desensitised.
The too high fuel consumption problem was solved by lowering the idling RPM from 1100 to 900 RPM. Additionally the drive sprockets were equipped with cooling devices.
The navigation software was also updated.
Leclerc T5
The most noticeable change was the adding of extra armour at the hull sides over the side skirts.
As per the version before, the engine management was updated. There were also changes inside the turret, updates for the navigation and communication equipment, a slower turret drive and an altered auto-loader.
Leclerc RT5
Most vehicles from lot 4-5 have been updated to this lot by the end of the 1990s and are now at the same equipment level. Changes compared to earlier versions can be found mostly in the turret and the navigation system. Because of the too fast turret drive, which could overstress the turret structure, the turning speed was lowered.
RT5 is the first version with extra stow boxes at the turret rear. They were necessary because with the small turret volume there is not enough space for the personal equipment of the crew. Also the Leclerc is increasingly used for UN missions, where a lot of additional equipment is needed and has to be stored in the tank. On the left turret rear a closed storage box is mounted. To its right is an open storage basket. As it is blocking the reloading hatch in the turret rear, the basket can be moved to the right.
The Leclerc follows conservative tank design basics in consisting of a hull and turret. But there were extensive design features to make the overall volume as small as possible.
The hull is equipped with a hydro pneumatic suspension system, working with hydraulic oil and nitric. Compared to the widely used torsion bar system, it needs 1mі less room inside the hull, and construction and production of the hull could be eased. Compared to Giat the occurring forces can be handled more efficiently, which leads to a lower material stressing. In addition a smaller fire control system can be used and the overall power consumption is lower. The problems of the first Leclerc lots while operating in cold environmental conditions could be solved.
The tracks and the six road wheels per hull side are mostly made of aluminium, leading an extreme mass reduction compared to other tanks. At each side of the track is a vulcanized rubber layer, which lowers the friction and also the noise level. The tracks did not meet the service requirements. Currently tests with new tracks from Giat and Diehl are held, but a final decision for a replacement has not been made.
The high mobility of the Leclerc is based on its new developed V8X-1500 8-cylinder hyperbar engine developed by Wдrtsilд. It is equipped with a hybrid turbocharger
system working with high pressures up to 30 bar. The relatively high fuel consumption is caused by a second chamber, a gas turbine, which is producing additional exhaust gases to power the first stage of the turbo charger. The engine has a maximum power output of 1500 horsepower and accelerates the tank from 0 to 32km/h in 5sec. The turbine is independent from the engines speed or driving conditions. This allows the delivery of sufficient pressure to the engine at any moment. A change of the engine management software would also allow an even higher output.
The V8X-1500 is extremely quiet and could be compared more with a turbine than to a diesel engine. Both parts of the propulsion system, engine and turbine, are started independently. It is also possible to run the turbine independently from the engine to produce electric power for the tanks system. The driving is only possible with the engine.
Technical problems with early series production vehicles, caused by over sensitive monitoring devices, overheating and overstressing have been solved successfully.
The exhaust gases are expelled through a grill at the hull rear left. Because of the use of a turbine the gasses are extremely hot, but they are cooled with the air from the cooling fans within the hull rear. On the exhaust grill a small pipe is mounted to guide the exhaust gasses away from the tank. In normal Operations it directs the gas upwards, which prevents the environment from fire. But nevertheless it raises the heat signature of the tank. Because of the clean burning process within the engine the hot gasses are visible only on extremely short ranges. Only in case of fast accelerations, when a higher percentage of carbon black particles is been exhausted, the thermal emissions can be seen over larger ranges.
The Leclerc is equipped with a SESM ESM 500 automatic transmission, responsible for shifting and steering. It has five forward and two rewind rears. The driver is choosing a gear and the transmission is shifting automatically all the gears below. The rewind gears are chosen directly by the driver. The steering and shifting signals are transmitted electrically to the transmission, but the gearbox works hydro-mechanically.
In an emergency mode it is possible to choose two forward and one rewind rear. The gears are selected with a mechanical device right of the driver.
The Leclerc is also able to turn on the spot.
The tank is equipped with a hybrid braking system. On higher speed a retarder is braking the vehicle. Later it is supported by two disk brakes, mounted in the hull rear beside the final drives. A mechanical parking braking, activated by a switch right of the driver’s steering wheel, is used to prevent the tank from moving when parked.
The Leclerc has an internal fuel capacity of 1.300l. The fuel cells are mounted in the frontal hull sides and used as additional armour. It is possible to refuel the tank with a special high pressure refuelling system in less than 2 minutes. A special truck with that system is able to refuel up to four tanks simultaneously in less than five minutes. In addition it is possible to use also conventional refuelling methods.
On the hull rear are mounting points for two external fuel drums with 200l each. This gives an overall fuel capacity of 1.700 litres. The external fuel cells are used on the move, but not during combat missions. The fuel drums limit the turret traverse and the vertical gun movement in the rear sector. In emergency situations they can be dropped by pressing a switch on the driver’s control panel.
The driver’s compartment is in the hull front left. It can be entered by a small hatch, opening to the left. Entering and leaving the driver’s station thru the hatch is difficult for untrained persons, as the opening is small and the lengthened muzzle of the coax-MG is mounted directly above. The compartment itself is large enough and quite comfortable.
Three large periscopes are mounted in the driver’s hatch. The two outer ones are equipped with a de-icing device, activated by a small switch on the upper part of each periscope. The centre periscope is equipped with a cleaning device, activated with a switch on the steering wheel. In addition the centred periscope displays if the turret turned to the right or the left of the hulls centre. For a more detailed display of the turret position the driver has a small mirror to his right. Like that he can read the numbers written on the turret basket behind his back.
The steering of the vehicle is done with a multi-functional steering wheel. Right of the driver is the gear shifting, to his left an instrumental panel. It contains displays for speed, engine speed, fuel capacity and temperature. Between that panel and the steering wheel is a larger control panel with switches for the engine control, the fuel cells and other hull systems.
An ammunition storage, similar to the drum of a revolver, is mounted in the right hull front. It contains up to 18 rounds and uses a simple crank handle to rotate it manually. This special design was chosen because of the limited storage inside the tank and it is unique in modern tanks. During the design phase of the Leclerc the mounting of an extra ammo rack at the hull rear was envisaged. This seemed to be suitable because the ammo for the turret rack is also loaded through a small hatch in the rear. It was planned to switch the extra ammo from the hull rear when needed and have a machine-controlled feed into the turret for the auto loader.
Unfortunately this construction was at the time too heavy and would have caused the movement of the centre of gravity to the hull rear, with negative consequences for the tank. So in the end the revolving ammo rack in the hull front was chosen, but one should keep an eye on new developments for rear-mounted ammo storage - maybe we will see it back in a future MBT.
The turret of the Leclerc is small, compared to other Western tank designs. The frontal area with its 1.6mІ is around 0.5mІ smaller, compared to the German Leopard 2A4. This small size could only be reached by using an automatic loader and dropping of the human loader. The autoloader is designed as band loader. It is mounted in the turret rear and contains up to 22 rounds. The ammo is loaded from the turret rear from the top, through a small hatch. The ammo type is programmed into the computer system by an optic reader or a keyboard if foreign ammo is used. The automatic loading process needs around 6 seconds, depending on the place of the chosen round within the loader’s magazine. The next ammo is pre-selected and placed in front of the reload door.
The reloading starts with fixing the gun in a loading position. Then the loader moves the loading bridge to the gun chamber, on which the round is loaded into the gun. After the shot the case bottom falls out of the gun chamber and into a basket on the turret floor.
A little bit problematic is the transport of the ammo from the hull store to the turret. For this the turret is first fixed in the 7 o'clock position. Then the rounds have to be handled from the hull bunker to the gunner’s station and from there thru a small door into the turret rear. A little bit easier is it to bring the rounds outside of the vehicle and then in from the turret rear. But however it is done, it is extremely time consuming.
The turret crew of the Leclerc consists of two men, the gunner on the left and the TC on the right. The room for the crew is limited, but comfortable enough. The two stations are deep inside the vehicle. One should also take into account that the normal operation time planed by the French Army was maximum 6 hours. During trainings this time is often extended without any negative influence of the fighting results of the vehicle or the crew.
The controls inside the turret are redundant, both gunner and TC have the same equipment to control the armament and lay fire. The gunner’s main controls are arranged the same way as for the TC. Beside the normal functions for shooting and lasing it has several special buttons and it’s somewhat similar to the HOTAS system used in modern military planes. Besides the normal buttons one can find controls for firing the weapons, choosing the magnification for the sight or changing between day and thermal view. There are also some interesting features.
The fire buttons are placed at the upper side of the stick under a security cover. It has to be pushed aside with the thumb before the fire button can be pressed. This system was chosen to reduce accidental shots. But without longer training or if the gunner is experienced with other tanks it will increase the number. The controls for the laser range finder have a second function called tachometry. A short press activates the laser which gives the actual range to the target. To shoot at a moving target, the gunner keeps the sight on it and at the same time he presses the laser button and holds it for at least 1 second. This activates the target tracking system, which works on the principle of extrapolation - it takes several pieces of information about the movement of the target and the tank within the time the button is pressed, calculates a curve and lays the gun. The gunner then has to wait 1s before fire. The system only works if the target stays on a straight course and does not change direction or speed. It is not an automatic target tracker.
Different to Leopard 2 or M1 the turning of the turret is activated with a horizontal movement of the gunner’s/commander’s control handle. To both sides of the seats are arm rests, which can be arrested in height. Like that the crew has a much better way to shoot and can move the gun much smoother.
The gunner’s sight has a day channel with x3.3 and x10 magnification and a thermal night sight with magnification of x3, x6, x10 and x20 which allows target detection at up to 5000 m. Also there is a day video camera mounted in the sight with 10x magnification. The picture is just black and white and is not usually used by the gunner. There is a single eyepiece and a small display. At night this display shows the thermal camera picture, and in daytime it shows the picture from the CCD camera.
The commanders primary sights are an independent movable periscope and eight small vision blocks mounted in his cupola. The periscope in front is also equipped with a mirror to look to the rear. Under each vision block is an index button which lets the periscope turn in the specific direction of that vision block.
The independent TC sight is equipped with a day channel with magnification of x2.5 and x10. For night use there is an integrated picture intensifier with a magnification of x2.5. The huge sight is mounted directly in front of the commander’s cupola on the turret roof. The commander’s panoramic sight includes strong armour and a water cell for the cleaning device.
The TC has a binocular eyepiece. On one side the daysight is shown, the other displays digital information like loaded ammo type, range to the target or position of turret and hull. For viewing the picture of the gunner’s sight a small display is mounted to the side. The TC uses this display both for observing the gunners targeting with the CCD camera, for shooting and as computer terminal.
The fire control system of the Leclerc allows the crew to lay fire on six different targets within 35 seconds, from a static position or on the move. The first hit probability is 95%, the second target is engaged 6s later. During training missions Leclerc crews were able to hit targets on ranges over 3.000m while moving cross country and traverse to the target with more than 60km/h.
There are three main different modes of operation, "normal", "emergency" and "manual", which can't be chosen between, because they indicate different states of the tank after failure of some components. In the manual mode the main gun has to be laid with a small crank handle on the gunner’s position. For shooting a small pedal in front of the gunner’s station is used. The commander’s panoramic sight can be used also manually from the commander’s station. Like that the tank is able to operate even with a complete loss of the turret’s electric system.
Main armament of the Leclerc is a Giat made CN 120-26 full stabilized 120mm gun. It has a calibre length of 52, which gives more energy to the round than the Leopard 2A5. There is no smoke evacuator. The tank is operating always with closed hatches and over pressure system for the crew switched on. In case the breech is opened the over pressure blows the gasses out of the gun. The chamber of the gun (also called the F1) has the same dimension as other NATO guns and so ammunition from the Leopard 2 or M1 can be used. Currently there are two different types of ammunition for the Leclerc; one APFSDS round with a muzzle velocity of 1.790 m/s, developed in cooperation with Germany as the LKE 1 or DM 44, and a HEAT round with a muzzle velocity of 1.100 m/s. An APFSDS round with a DU penetrator was also developed and is now in service in small numbers. The Leclerc’s fire control system includes already ballistic data for various APFSDS and HEAT-MP rounds, which can be selected easily before loading. It is possible to use two foreign round types at the same time.
Armament is completed by a 12.7mm coaxial MG and a 7.62mm AA-MG mounted on the turret along the gunner or the TC side.
An important feature of the Leclerc is the modular armour. It can be changed after a hit, under battle conditions, or it can be easily updated with new types of armour. The currently used armour is extremely strong and can be compared to the armour of the M1A1HA, but with a significantly lower weight. During tests a DM43 round fired from 2.000m was not able to penetrate it.
The Leclerc is the first MBT introduced with a Battlefield Management System. It is used for informing the crew about all functions of the tank and connecting several tanks or other units via data link. The system is predominantly used to share information rather than receive it.
TC and gunner have a small keyboard with which to input coordinates into the BMS, which are used to guide the tank in field conditions. Each tank in use has its unique call sign. Like that it is possible to communicate with each tank or vehicle in range. Generally the tank will communicate only with one receiver, but it is also possible to send information to all connected units with one transmission.
The keyboard is also used to enter range information into the fire control system for manual targeting after damage to the laser range finder.
The Leclerc is equipped with a powerful intercom system. It allows the crew to communicate without any interference noise. In addition it is possible to connect an external trooper to the tank and talk with the crew. The connection box is located on the right rear hull side.
Leclerc T6
This is largely the same tank as the RT5, but a new build rather than an upgrade. An air conditioning system was added, which previously was only fitted on the UAE vehicles.
Leclerc T7
With this version the French Army introduced standard software. The communication equipment is now compatible with the mapping system used on VPC - a VAB equipped with two computer systems and data link. These vehicles are used for coordinating the tanks on the battle field. The MBT automatically sends information about its own position and detected targets. The commander within the VPS therefore has a real-time view of the battle field in his part of the front. With a click on a specific tank he also gets information about ammo and fuel load, or damage.
Another modification was made to the commanders independent sight. After rapid movement it tended to lose its direction slightly and need to be recalibrated. To fix it the commander had to disconnect it from the databus. While restarting it comes back to its normal adjustment and works normally. This procedure takes around 10 seconds, not long perhaps, but in combat it could mean life or death. On the T7 some components of the sight control have been changed to cope with the problem.
Leclerc T8
The basic construction of the Leclerc was made in the 1980s, and the electronic components were made in the early 90s. Due to changes in standards and to allow for new technology upgrade later on, the turret and hull electronics have been changed.
Leclerc T9
The T9, which is right now undergoing testing, raised again the fighting ability and power of the Leclerc. The commanders sight will be upgraded with a laser range finder and an independent thermal viewer.
Additionally a TIS (Terminal Information System) called “Icone” is added. It allows planning of the mission over several colors displays. Information about one's own troops and the enemy will be displayed here and synchronized automatically with connected units.
Tropic Leclerc
So far the United Arabian Emirates is the only country beside France
which has chosen the Leclerc. But there have been several modifications.
The so-called "Desert Leclerc" uses a MTU 883 V-12 diesel engine,
combined with a Renk HSLW 295 TM transmission. For this the hull had to be enlarged at the back. The air filters and cooling system had to be modified, and an air conditioning system for the crew and turret
equipment was added. Other changes were made to the side skirts, the
auxiliary power unit and the equipment boxes.
Copyright: Stefan Liess
Greek tender results:
20 rounds at 2000 m distance daytime (10 static, 10 while on move):
M1A2 - 17 out of 20
Leclerc - 20 out of 20
Leopard 2A5 - 19 out of 20
T-84 - 11 out of 20
T-80U - 11 out of 20
20 rounds at 1500 m distance nightime (10 static, 10 while on move):
M1A2 - 20 out of 20
Leclerc - 20 out of 20
Leopard 2A5 - 19 out of 20
T-80U - 13 out of 20
Hunter-kill
Leclerc - 13 out of 20
Leopard 2A5 - 17 out of 20
Challenger 2E - 8 out of 20
T-84 - 9 out of 20
Rate of fire (2 targets at 1500 m):
M1A2 - 8 rounds/min
Leclerc - 9 rounds/min
Leopard 2A5 - 9 rounds/min
Challenger 2E - 9 rounds/min
T-84 - 6-7 rounds/min
T-80U - 6 rounds/min
Range:
M1A2 - 365 km
Leclerc - 500 km
Leopard 2A5 - 375 km
Challenger 2E - 440 km
T- 84 - 450 km
T-80U - 412 km
Mobility tests:
T-80U and Leclerc - no complains
T-84 and M1A2 - minor complains
Leopard 2A5 - could not pass 30 grad slop, had to change trucks.
Challenger 2E - could not pass 30 grad slop, gun hit the ground while passing 1 meter wall.
Some Leclerc photos:
Stripped turret view:
View attachment 185076 View attachment 185077 View attachment 185078 View attachment 185079 View attachment 185080
Gunner's position:
View attachment 185217
Commander's position:
View attachment 185218
Driver's position:
View attachment 185219
Autoloader (22 rounds):
View attachment 185220
View attachment 185221
What do you think about the Merkava against the Leclerc ?
