View source for Leclerc S2

{{Specs-Card
|code=fr_leclerc_s2
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]].

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
The Leclerc S2 is virtually the same inside as the S1, excluding a few upgrades not functional in-game such as a new NBC protection system and air conditioner. The turret cheeks (>600 mm KE) are well protected, with the middle glacis plate providing 720 mm chemical and 550 mm kinetic protection. The flat plate below the gunner's thermal optic provides 500 mm of protection against KE.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || Upper Glacis: 140-300mm APFSDS sloped at 77 degrees || 30-65 mm ''Front''<br> 20-55 mm ''Back'' || 10-20mm || 5-25mm
|-
| Turret || 600-800mm APFSDS ''Turret cheeks''<br> 500mm APFSDS / 570mm HEAT ''Gunner's optic''
| 180+mm APFSDS, 230+mm HEAT || Ammo storage: 45mm APFSDS, 270mm HEAT (with integrated ERA blocks)
Turret back: 20mm
| 20-40mm
|-
| Cannon || 90-460mm against APFSDS || N/A || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

=== Mobility ===
{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->

{{tankMobility|abMinHp=2,285|rbMinHp=1,304}}

The Leclerc S2 is powered by the same engine as the S1, the Wärtsilä V8X-1500. Outputting 1,475 hp and using a special gas turbine turbocharger (which can also act as the vehicle's APU, and eliminating turbo lag), the Leclerc S2 has great mobility for its class at 26.25 hp/ton. However, it weighs 2.5t more than the S1 which makes for noticeable sluggishness without engine upgrades.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
=== Main armament ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
{{main|GIAT CN120-26 F1 (120 mm)}}

Like its predecessor, the Leclerc S2 is equipped with the CN120-26 F1 L/52 cannon. It can fire three shells: a stock HEAT-FS round, and two APFSDS shells. The OFL 120 F1, which shares the same penetrator as the DM43, slices through over 550 mm of armour past 1 km. Although this isn't as competitive as some contemporaries, it still performs very well against enemy MBT's. The 120 F1 shell also has a velocity of 1,790 m/s which makes for very good ballistics and low bullet drop. Although powerful, the 120 F1 round is a Tier IV modification; like most other MBTs, the Leclerc starts out with a stock HEAT-FS shell. Although powerful against light vehicles and SPAA, the HEAT-FS is redundant against your opponents. You have an APFSDS shell as a Tier I modification, however, one must note that it penetrates only 390 mm of armour even at close range.

Unlike most of its Western contemporaries (excluding the [[Type 90]] and the [[CV 90120]]), the Leclerc S2 is equipped with an autoloader. This gives it a flat firing rate of 6 seconds, tied with an ''aced crew level'' of the M1A2 Abrams and the Leopard 2. This gives it great follow-up shot potential out of the box without the need for crew upgrading. Also equipped with powerful thermals for gunner and commander, the Leclerc can pick off unsuspecting targets with great efficiency.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[GIAT CN120-26 F1 (120 mm)|120 mm GIAT CN120-26 F1]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
|-
! ''Arcade''
| rowspan="2" | 40 || rowspan="2" | -8°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | Two-plane || 28.6 || 39.5 || 48.0 || 53.1 || 56.5 || rowspan="2" | 6.00 || rowspan="2" | 6.00 || rowspan="2" | 6.00 || rowspan="2" | 6.00
|-
! ''Realistic''
| 17.9 || 21.0 || 25.5 || 28.2 || 30.0
|-
|}

==== Ammunition ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="8" | Penetration statistics
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)'''
|-
! 10 m !! 100 m !! 500 m !! 1,000 m !! 1,500 m !! 2,000 m
|-
| OCC 120 G1 || HEATFS || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480 || 480
|-
| OFL 120 G1 || APFSDS || 394 || 393 || 388 || 382 || 376 || 370
|-
| OFL 120 F1 || APFSDS || 575 || 573 || 565 || 557 || 547 || 537
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
! colspan="10" | Shell details
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! rowspan="2" | Type of<br>warhead
! rowspan="2" | Velocity<br>(m/s)
! rowspan="2" | Projectile<br>Mass (kg)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse delay<br>(m)
! rowspan="2" | Fuse sensitivity<br>(mm)
! rowspan="2" | Explosive Mass<br>(TNT equivalent) (g)
! colspan="3" | Ricochet
|-
! 0% !! 50% !! 100%
|-
| OCC 120 G1 || HEATFS || 1,100 || 14.4 || 0.05 || 0.1 || 2,150 || 65° || 72° || 77°
|-
| OFL 120 G1 || APFSDS || 1,650 || 3.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
| OFL 120 F1 || APFSDS || 1,790 || 3.8 || N/A || N/A || N/A || 78° || 80° || 81°
|-
|}

==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}. Bustle ammo rack is behind blast doors. Hull ammo rack is inside fuel tank.]]
<!-- '''Last updated: 2.3.0.64''' -->
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Full<br>ammo
! 1st<br>rack empty
! 2nd<br>rack empty
! Visual<br>discrepancy
|-
| '''40''' || 23 ''(+17)'' || 1 ''(+39)'' || No
|-
|}

Hull stowage empty: 23 ''(+17)''

=== Machine guns ===
{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
{{main|M2HB (12.7 mm)}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="5" | [[M2HB (12.7 mm)|12.7 mm M2HB]]
|-
! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
|-
| Coaxial || 800 (200) || 577 || N/A || N/A
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
With great mobility and an autoloading 120 mm cannon, the Leclerc can be exploited to fulfil a number of roles on the battlefield. Mobility enables it to get into competitive spots for sniping or ambushing, and the gun's performance enables quick response and follow-up shots to any enemy that appears. Its survivability is best while hull down or poking out from a hill, as most of its vulnerable areas excluding the cannon breech (and sometimes the LFP when poking out from cover) are hidden well enough. Try to avoid close quarters combat (CQC) as the Leclerc's numerous hull weak spots can be easily seen and targeted in urban environments. However, at longer ranges, the commander's thermal sight allows for "leap frog" tactics — acquiring a target, poking out of cover to take a shot, and retreating back into cover. If CQC is inevitable (i.e. Rhine, Sweden, Novorossiysk), then the Leclerc can be used to ambush distracted tanks and poke out of cover. When shot at or damaged, use your smoke grenades to retreat into cover. 14 smoke grenades give two separate discharges, or if discharged all at once, provide 360 degrees of smoke for you to retreat behind.

=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->

'''Pros:'''

* Excellent gun performance, handling, and reload
* Competitive mobility and great reverse speed
* Thermal optics (Gen 2) for both gunner and commander
* 22 rounds in first-stage ammo stowage — highest of any Western MBT
* Lower profile compared to its contemporaries

'''Cons:'''

* Noticeable weakspots at close range or when not hull down
* Cannon breech is easy to hit at any range
* 10 mm armour protection for the engine; 12.7 mm rounds can set afire and immobilize you
* Three crew members like the Type 90; their survivability is worse than other tanks at its BR (excluding Russian MBT) when shot in weakspots
* Abysmal performance when stock — researching critical modifications such as APFSDS rounds, engine upgrades and NVD/rangefinder is a priority.

== History ==
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
The Leclerc Série 2 Tranche 6 was the 9th version of the Leclerc (counting prototypes) which had minor improvements compared to the previous Leclerc Série 1 Tranche 2-5. It feautred an increase on the commander's optic periscope armor to STANAG 3. Air conditioner was added as well as lockable baskets and boxes on the turret's bustle. A wave deflector was added at the frontal plate as well as addition of one piece rubber plating on side skirts. Later models of the S2, more specifically the Leclerc S2T9, were retrofitted with V5 tracks instead of V2 tracks as well as a new General Purpose Sight (gunner's optics) at the end of their life service in order to standarize them for further Leclerc Série 3 also known as SXXI.

== Media ==
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==
<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.'' -->
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{France medium tanks}}