Leclerc

France's baseline main battle tank, distinguished by an autoloader that reduces crew to three and a modular composite armor design. It entered service with the French Army and the United Arab Emirates before later being succeeded by the upgraded XLR standard.

In service since 1992 · 2 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km/h

550

km range

hp/t

120

mm gun

54,500

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

French export-licensed

CIEEMG inter-ministerial approval; broadly export-oriented.

Channel: DGA / direct commercial

Fielded & proven

Limited · 2 operators

In service since 1992. Status: active · ~862 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

120 mm NATO smoothbore

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 72 km/h

Stronger than 88% of main battle tanks
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 550 km

Stronger than 79% of main battle tanks
Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.: 27 hp/t

Top 7% of main battle tanks
Muzzle velocity Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.: 1,750 m/s

Stronger than 87% of main battle tanks

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 120 mm GIAT CN120-26 smoothbore
Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.: 12.7 mm + 7.62 mm coaxial machine guns
Caliber Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.: 120 mm
Ammunition Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.: 40

Stronger than 42% of main battle tanks

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Modular composite armor
Reactive armor Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.: No
Countermeasures Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.: GALIX smoke/decoy launchers
NBC protection Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.: Yes

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 9.87 m
Width Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.: 3.71 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 2.53 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 54,500 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 3

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: SACM Wärtsilä V8X-1500 hyperbar diesel
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.: 1,500 hp

Stronger than 85% of main battle tanks
Fuel capacity Internal fuel volume.: 1,300 L
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Diesel

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.: autoloader-integrated fire control, hunter-killer sighting
Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.: Yes

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 862

Stronger than 70% of main battle tanks
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 2

Stronger than 57% of main battle tanks

Specifications compiled from public KNDS and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

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