Leclerc

Leclerc

AMX-30B2 BRENUS

Leclerc S2

Leclerc

AMX-30B2 BRENUS

Leclerc S2

France

VIII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
12.0	12.0	12.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:400 000

Purchase:1 080 000

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Description

The Leclerc Serie 1 is a rank VIII French medium tank with a battle rating of 12.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.89 "Imperial Navy".

General info

Survivability and armour

The Leclerc MBT offers its most-protected areas in the face of the turret. While not as armoured in the turret as Challenger 2, this makes it a considerable threat when used as a hull-down vehicle at long ranges. It is most vulnerable in the box-shaped gun mantlet, making it an easy target for destroying the cannon breach.

Mobility

While effective as a hull-down vehicle, the Leclerc's mobility should be noted. Along with good traversability, It will effectively deliver forward speeds of up to ~50 km/h, and reverse of almost 40 km/h in off-road scenarios.

Armaments

Main armament

The stock round for the Leclerc is standard 600 mm HEATFS. However, as a tier 4 modification, you can acquire the second highest penetrating APFSDS in the game. The OFL 120 F1's penetration values in mm at 10 m are 528/457/305. Accompanied by high turret rotation speeds and gun elevation/depression, this makes for a high chance of penetration against any of its opponents.

Machine guns

Equipped with an M2HB 12.7mm (.50 calibre) coaxial machine gun.

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).

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism	Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	OFL 120 F1	Laser rangefinder

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Has an autoloader
• Possess advanced protection of composite armour in turret and hull
• Perfect dynamics of armour, firepower, and mobility

Cons:

• Small crew of three

History

Development of the Leclerc main battle tank dates back to 1964, when the French military initiated a study on possible replacements for the AMX-30 tank, about to be introduced into service at the time. By the early ‘70s, the inferiority of the AMX-30 compared to more modern Soviet T-series MBTs had become obvious. As a result, work on developing a replacement officially began, with first specifications being drawn up by 1977.

In 1980, France and Germany began joint development of a new main battle tank. However, similarly to the previous Europanzer development decades ago, the joint effort quickly came to an end shortly afterwards due to various disagreements, with France continuing work on its own.

The new main battle tank was intended to offer cutting-edge performance by making use of the latest equipment available. However, as the per unit price was projected to be substantial, France sought partnership with another state to reduce these costs. Eventually, a partnership was established with the UAE, who would be the second and only other primary operator of the new tank, other than France itself.

Thus, in 1986 the tank received its name “Leclerc”, with six initial prototypes being produced. Mass production subsequently started in 1990 and went on until 2007. During production, the Leclerc was built in various batches and series, each introducing various tweaks and changes to the design, while some also incorporated major upgrades.

The Leclerc saw service as part of a number of UN peacekeeping missions, primarily in Kosovo and Lebanon, with reported favourable performance. Most recently, the UAE deployed a number of its Leclercs to Yemen, with some vehicles getting damaged. As of the end of production in 2007, a total of around 860 Leclercs were built for both French and UAE forces combined.

- From Devblog

Media

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.

External links

• [Devblog] Leclerc S1 - La République’s Finest
• Wikipedia - GIAT CN120-26/52