Tamiya 35362 French Main Battle Tank Leclerc Series 2

The first prototypes of the French Leclerc 3rd generation main battle tank were made in 1986. Serial production started in 1992, and continues with interruptions (2017) and has resulted in the production of approx. 850 vehicles. The Leclerc tank is powered SAEM UDU V8X 1500 T9 Hyperbar engine with 1500 HP . Its primary armament is the 120mm GIAT CN120-26 / 52 gun, and its auxiliary armament is two 12.7mm and 7.62mm machineguns.

The Leclerc was created in connection with the French army's need for a new main battle tank, intended to replace the AMX-30 or AMX-30B2 tanks with more and more combat capabilities than other Western designs. When designing the new tank on a large scale, modern electronics were used in it, which can be seen especially in the very effective FCS (fire control system), which ensures 95% effectiveness of the first shot! Also, the gun used is in no way inferior to the German or American solutions in the Leopard 2 or M1A1 Abrams tanks. Leclerc is also highly maneuverable and mobile. However, it can be assumed that its armor is of a slightly lower quality than that of other 3rd generation western cars. Another disadvantage is the relatively high price, which in 2001 was estimated at 6.5 million. euro for one tank. The first Leclerc cars reached full combat readiness in the French army in 1995. The only foreign recipient of this vehicle was the UAE, which purchased as many as 436 units - for comparison, the French army purchased 406 units of this tank. Leclerc was used in peacekeeping missions in Kosovo (1999) and in Lebanon (2006), and in combat - in the civil war in Yemen since 2015.