The Leclerc XLR is a French fourth-generation

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...

(MBT) developed and manufactured by the

KNDS France KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter, GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French government-owned weapons manufacturer, based in Versailles. The company was wholly government-owned ...

. It is a modernization of the third-generation

Leclerc tank The Leclerc is a third-generation French main battle tank developed and manufactured by KNDS France. It was named in honour of Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, a commander of the Free French Forces, who led the 2nd Armoured Division in ...

with the addition of a turret-mounted remotely-operated 7.62mm caliber machine gun manufactured by Belgian company

FN Herstal , trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale, or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium, and former vehicle manufacturer. It was the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe . FN ...

, additional modular armour on the turret and hull, and rear wire cage armour to protect the engine compartment against rocket propelled grenades. The components that mark this tank as fourth-generation are mostly electronic: networked architecture allowing an interface between the

Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; ; ) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic Philosophy, philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Seven Sages, founding figure ...

tactical radio system, the

NBC protection Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense (CBRN defense) or Nuclear, biological, and chemical protection (NBC protection) is a class of protective measures taken in situations where chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclea ...

system,

night vision equipment A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD) or night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The ...

and the

Atos Atos SE is a European multinational information technology (IT) service and consulting company with headquarters in Bezons suburb of Paris, France, and offices worldwide. It specialises in hi-tech transactional services, unified communicat ...

-brand SCORPION Information and Command System (SICS) and associated display screens. The upgraded Leclerc comes with a counter- IED jammer, new man-machine interfaces for commander and gunner, redesigned main system computers, and a battle health monitoring system. The

inertial navigation system An inertial navigation system (INS; also inertial guidance system, inertial instrument) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning th ...

and

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...

navigation system are fused.

History

The fourth-generation upgrade of 200 Leclercs was announced in March 2015, with the first two XLR prototypes planned for 2018 and the remaining 198 slated for completion over eight years, starting in 2020. The contract was valued at approximately €330 million. By 2025, 122 tanks are planned to be upgraded to the XLR version.

Operators

Current operators

* : 15 (200 ordered total)

Potential operators

* : In January 2022 Nexter officials were contacted by India on participating in the Future Ready Combat Vehicle program with the proposal of the Leclerc XLR MBT. On 1 January 2022, the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

was rumored to have invited the French to bid for a contract to supply 1,000 units of the Leclerc XLR to replace the aging Indian

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

fleet. * : In April 2022 talks were held between Nexter representatives and Croatian delegation about possible acquisition of Leclerc XLR tanks for

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( or HKoV) is the land force branch of the Croatian Armed Forces. It is numerically the largest of the three branches of the Croatian Armed Forces. The HKoV is the main force for the defense of the country against external threa ...

References

{{Post-Cold War tanks, style=wide Main battle tanks of France KNDS France Post–Cold War main battle tanks Tanks with autoloaders Military vehicles introduced in the 2020s Post–Cold War military equipment of France Fourth-generation main battle tanks Trial and research tanks

History

Operators

Current operators

Potential operators

See also

References