Question about French Tanks

[Demon Lord Razgriz]

How are French Tanks named now? I know they were named AMX-??, but with the Leclerc, I'm confused.

 

[swordfish]

I sometimes see the Leclerc referred to as the AMX-56. Whether that's an unofficial or pre-production designation someone better clued in than me will have to answer.

 

[lastdingo]

This might help:

http://www.chars-francais.net/

 

[caius]

AMX means "Ateliers de construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux".

 

[Grey Havoc]

On a tangent:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKEBYcDj8Tw

Pinned by Battle Order Mk. II

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Battle Order
1 day ago
When I say "Lightning Squadron", it's because I recorded it before I realized "éclairage" actually means "lightening" which is a synonym for "scouting" lol. "Scouting" is the proper translation as written on screen. Also note for the late 1980s period at 1:09 , 4 out of France's 20 tank regiments had 4 tank squadrons rather than the normal 3, or 70 tanks rather than the normal 53. These were 1er régiment de Cuirassiers (1st Division), 6ème régiment de Dragons (1st Division), 3ème régiment de Dragons (3rd Division), and 12ème régiment de Cuirassiers (3rd Division)

 

[Grey Havoc]

French army to receive 122 modernized Main Battle Tanks Leclerc XLR by

According to information published on the "Armée de Terre" French army Twitter account on October 31, 2022, currently, the French army has a total of 222 L

www.armyrecognition.com

According to information published on the "Armée de Terre" French army Twitter account on October 31, 2022, currently, the French army has a total of 222 Leclerc MBT (Main Battle Tank) and for 2025, 122 Leclerc tanks will be renovated to the standard Leclerc XLR.

The Leclerc Scorpion or XLR is a modernized version of the French-made Leclerc Main Battle Tank (MBT) designed and manufactured by the French Company Nexter Systems. The upgraded Leclerc MBT will have more firepower and protection.

The Leclerc XLR keeps the original main armament of the standard Leclerc which consists of a Giat 120 mm 52 caliber smoothbore gun designated the CN 120-26. The roof of the turret will be equipped now with a remotely operated weapon station manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal which will be armed with a 7.62mm machine gun.

The Leclerc Scorpion is upgraded with a new armor package that includes additional modular armor on the hull and the turret. The front part of the hull side is protected by thick passive armor, while the rear part is fitted with wire cage armor to protect the engine compartment against attacks of RPGs (Rocket-Propelled Grenade). The rear part of the hull is also fitted with wire cage armor.

The Leclerc XLR MBT will be equipped with an open electronic architecture, the new Contact tactical radio system, NBC protection system, night vision equipment and the SCORPION Information and Command System (SICS) and associated displays. The renovated Leclerc will be also fitted with the Barage counter-IED jammer, Scorpion diagnostic test device, coupling of inertial navigation and GPS system, new man-machine interfaces for commander and gunner, redesign of main system computers, and health and usage monitoring system.

 

[dan_inbox]

AMX means "Ateliers de construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux".

AMX has been merged into AMX-APX (Puteaux), then into GIAT Groupement Industriel de l'Armement Terrestre, then into Nexter.

Separately, even though the Leclerc is a replacement for the AMX-30B2, it is not a direct evolution of it. The Leclerc was produced at the Roanne arsenal ARE, only 4 of the 6 prototypes were built at Issy-les-Moulineaux AMX.

AMX-56 is not a designation in official use. But journos, wannabe-experts and fanboys, indeed.

 

[Archibald]

Why not modernize all 222 of them ? as if 222 wasn't already a smallish and insufficient number...

 

[Elan Vital]

Why not modernize all 222 of them ? as if 222 wasn't already a smallish and insufficient number...

The program is supposed to be completed by 2027. Maybe this is only the first order and they will complete it later. Besides, they are probably upgrading the Série 2 tanks first, since the SXXIs are better.