Leclerc main battle tank
Leclerc main battle tank
The Leclerc tank in terms of its main combat properties (firepower, mobility and armor protection) is significantly superior to the AMX-30V2 tank. It is characterized by a high degree of saturation with electronics, the cost of which reaches almost half the cost of the tank itself. The Leclerc tank is made according to the classical layout with the main armament in a rotating armored turret, the control compartment in the front of the hull, and the engine-transmission compartment in the rear of the vehicle. In the turret to the left of the gun is the position of the tank commander, to the right is the gunner, and an automatic loader is installed in the niche.
The frontal and side parts of the hull and turret of the Leclerc tank are made of multi-layered armor with the use of gaskets made of ceramic materials. In front of the hull, a modular design of armor protection is partially applied. It has two main advantages over the conventional version: firstly, if one or more modules are damaged, they can be relatively easily replaced even in the field, and secondly, in the future it is possible to install modules made of more effective armor. Particular attention was paid to strengthening the protection of the roof of the tower, primarily from promising anti-tank weapons that hit the tank from above. The sides of the hull are covered with anti-cumulative armor screens, and steel boxes are also hinged in the front part, which are additional spaced armor.
Tank "Leclerc" is equipped with a system of protection against weapons of mass destruction. In the case of overcoming areas of contaminated terrain in the fighting compartment with the help of a filter-ventilation unit, excess pressure is created in order to prevent radioactive dust or toxic substances from entering the purified air. The survivability of the Leclerc tank is also increased by reducing its silhouette, the presence of an automatic high-speed fire extinguishing system in the combat and engine-transmission compartments and electric (instead of hydraulic) drives for aiming the gun, as well as a decrease in the optical signature due to very little smoke when the engine is running. If necessary, a smoke screen can be placed by shooting smoke grenades at a distance of up to 55 m in the forward sector up to 120 °.
The tank is equipped with a warning (alarm) system about irradiation with a laser beam so that the crew can immediately carry out the necessary maneuver of the vehicle to avoid being hit by a guided anti-tank weapon. Also, the tank has a fairly high mobility on rough terrain. The UAE ordered Leclerc tanks equipped with a German-made engine and transmission group, which includes a 1500-horsepower MTU 883-series engine and an automatic transmission from Renk. Taking into account the operation in desert conditions, the tanks are equipped with an air-conditioning system for the fighting compartment. The first five tanks from the UAE series were ready in February 1995. Two of them were delivered to the customer by air on board the Russian An-124 transport aircraft, and the other three entered the armored school in Saumur.
In addition to the UAE, Leclerc tanks were also offered to other customers in the Middle East. In this market, French firms that produce weapons have been operating very successfully for many years. As a result, Qatar and Saudi Arabia became interested in the Leclercs, where various modifications of the American M60 tanks and the French AMX-30 are currently in operation.
The performance characteristics of the main battle tank "Leclerc"
At any time of the day, the tank commander uses the H1-15 panoramic periscope sight mounted on the turret roof to the left of the gun. It has a daytime visual channel and a nighttime one (with a third-generation image intensifier). The commander also has a display that shows a television image from the gunner's sight. In the commander's cupola, there are eight glass blocks along the perimeter, providing an all-round view of the terrain.
The tank commander and gunner have all the necessary controls (panels, handles, consoles). The Leclerc tank is characterized by the presence of a large number of electronic means, primarily digital computing devices (microprocessors), which control the operation of all the main systems and equipment of the tank. The following are interconnected via the central multiplex data bus: a digital electronic ballistic computer of the fire control system (it is connected to all sensors of firing conditions, displays and control knobs of the commander's and gunner's consoles), microprocessors of the commander's and gunner's sights, guns and coaxial machine gun-automatic loader, engine and transmission, driver control panels.
The main armament of the Leclerc tank is the SM-120-120 26-mm smoothbore gun with a barrel length of 52 calibers (for the guns of the M1A1 Abrams and Leopard-2 tanks it is 44 calibers). The barrel is equipped with a heat-insulating cover. For effective shooting while moving, the gun is stabilized in two guidance planes. The ammunition load includes shots with armor-piercing piercing feathered shells with a detachable pallet and HEAT shells. Armor-piercing core of the first (length to diameter ratio 20:1) has an initial speed of 1750 m/s. At present, French specialists are developing a 120-mm armor-piercing feathered projectile with a depleted uranium core and a high-explosive fragmentation projectile for fighting combat helicopters. A feature of the Leclerc tank is the presence of an automatic loader, which made it possible to reduce the crew to three people. It was created by Creusot-Loire and installed in the niche of the tower. The mechanized ammunition rack includes 22 shots, and the remaining 18 are in the drum-type ammunition rack to the right of the driver. The automatic loader provides a practical rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute when firing both from a standstill and on the move.
If necessary, manual loading of the gun is also provided. American experts are considering the possibility of using this automatic loader on Abrams tanks of all modifications after the third stage of their modernization. As auxiliary weapons on the Leclerc tank, a 12,7-mm machine gun coaxial with a cannon and a 7,62-mm anti-aircraft machine gun mounted behind the gunner's hatch and controlled remotely are used. Ammunition, respectively, 800 and 2000 rounds. On the sides of the upper aft part of the tower, grenade launchers are mounted in special armored fences (four smoke grenades on each side, three anti-personnel and two for creating infrared traps). The fire control system includes gunner's and tank commander's sights with independent stabilization of their fields of view in two planes and with built-in laser rangefinders. The gunner's periscope sight is located on the right front of the turret. It contains three optoelectronic channels: daytime visual with variable magnification (2,5 and 10x), thermal imaging and television. The maximum distance to the target, measured by a laser rangefinder, reaches 8000 m For observation, detection and identification of targets, as well as firing a projectile with a detachable pallet (at a distance of 2000 m) and a cumulative projectile (1500 m).
As the power plant of the Leclerc tank, an 8-cylinder four-stroke V-shaped V8X-1500 liquid-cooled turbocharged diesel engine is used. It is made in one block with an automatic transmission EZM 500, which can be replaced in 30 minutes. The pressurization system, called the "hyperbar", includes a turbocharger and a combustion chamber (such as a gas turbine). It generates higher boost pressure to significantly increase engine power while improving torque characteristics. The automatic transmission provides five forward speeds and two reverse. The Leclerc tank has good throttle response - it accelerates to a speed of 5,5 km/h in 32 seconds. A feature of this French tank is the presence of a hydropneumatic suspension, which ensures smooth movement and the highest possible traction speed on roads and rough terrain. hinge. Initially, it was planned to purchase 1400 Leclerc tanks for the French ground forces. However, the change in the military-political situation caused by the collapse of the military organization of the Warsaw Pact, was reflected in the needs of the French army in tanks: the order decreased to 1100 units, of which the main part was intended for the rearmament of six armored divisions (160 vehicles each), 70 tanks were to be delivered to reserve and tank schools. It is possible that these numbers will change. The estimated cost of one tank is 29 million francs. A tank of this type is intended for the planned replacement of the aging AMX-30. At the beginning of 1989, the first batch (16 units) of Leclerc tanks of serial production was ordered with the start of deliveries to the troops at the end of 1991. Military tests of these vehicles at the level of a tank squadron took place in 1993. The first tank regiment was completed by them in 1995, and the first armored division in 1996. Sources:
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At the end of the 70s, French and German specialists began joint development of a new tank (the Napoleon-1 and KRG-3 programs, respectively), but in 1982 it was discontinued. In France, however, work on creating their own promising third-generation tank was continued. Moreover, before the appearance of the prototype, such subsystems as the warhead and suspension were manufactured and tested. The main developer of the tank, which received the name "Leclerc" (after the name of the French general during the Second World War), is a state association. Serial production of Leclerc tanks is carried out by the state arsenal located in the city of Roan.
