Army Recognition reported that the Jordanian Army has deployed for the first time Leclerc Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) donated by the UAE (United Arab Emirates) during the military exercise Salah al-Din Citadel. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have decided to donate 80 of these the Leclerc Main Battle Tank (MBT) to Jordan. This number should allow Jordan to equip two of the four tank battalions belonging to its 3rd Armored Division. All these units are equipped with older tanks such as the Tariq (Centurion), the M60 A1, the Al Khalid (Chieftain), or the Al Hussein (Challenger 1).
The Leclerc tankis a main battle tank (MBT) built by GIAT, now Nexter of France. It was named in honour of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, who led the French element of the drive towards Paris while in command of the Free French 2nd Armoured Division (2e DB) in World War II. The Leclerc is in service with the French Army and the United Arab Emirates Army. In production since 1991, the Leclerc entered French service in 1992, replacing the AMX 30 as the country’s main armoured platform. With production now complete, the French Army has 222 Leclercs and the United Arab Emirates Army has 388.
The Leclerc is armed with a 120 mm modèle F1 smoothbore gun designed by the arsenal of Bourges (EFAB) under the designation of CN120-26. Its barrel is 52 calibres long instead of the 44 calibres common on most main battle tanks of its generation, giving the projectile a higher muzzle velocity. The Modèle F1 is compatible with 120x570mm NATO ammunition. This gun features a magnesium alloy thermal sleeve and an automatic loading mechanism. Elevation (+20°), depression (-8°), and turret traverse (360°) are electrically powered. The Leclerc EMAT used by the French Army relies on compartment overpressure for barrel fume extraction while the UAE tropicalized Leclerc uses a compressed-air fume extraction system.
