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Ukraine - Leclerc

French President Emmanuel Macron, answering a question about the possibility of Paris supplying Kyiv with Leclerc tanks, said that "nothing is ruled out." The French leader said at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "As for the Leclerc tanks, nothing is out of the question," He said that he "instructed the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecorne, to work on this issue."

At the same time, Macron emphasized that "supplies should not lead to escalation." "We have always adhered to this line," he stressed. In addition, according to him, it is also necessary "to take into account the level of training of the Ukrainian military." Macron, as another condition for the supplies, stressed that they should not damage the defense capability of France. "This should not weaken our own defense capabilities," he said.

France is considering supplying its Leclerc tanks to Ukraine, but no decision has been made yet. This was reported on 19 January 2023 by the European edition of Politico , citing an unnamed French official"The topic is complex, and there is no decision in Paris yet. But we are thinking about it. Let's see what will be decided at the joint meeting of the Councils of Ministers of France and Germany," the source said.

The Leclerc main battle tank has been deployed by the French Army in overseas operations in Lebanon, Estonia and very recently in Romania. Nexter has been maintaining it in operational condition in the Army's training parks since the implementation of a vertical support contract in 2010.

The Leclerc tank is a 3rd generation 60-ton class tank, manufactured by Nexter in Roanne until July 2008. Its crew is composed of 3 operators: the tank commander, the gunner and the pilot. It is armed with a 120 mm smoothbore gun and a 12.7 mm coaxial machine gun. 200 Leclerc tanks will be renovated for the Army by 2029.

According to official data, as of November 2022, 222 Leclerc tanks of the old version were in service with the French ground forces, 200 of them were to be upgraded by 2025. Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, told reporters on 16 January 2023 that the supply of heavy armored vehicles by Western countries to Ukraine is not capable of changing the situation on earth, "these tanks are burning and will continue to burn . "

“ A request has been made ,” confirmed the French ambassador to Ukraine, Étienne de Poncins, before the deputies of the National Defense Committee meeting behind closed doors on 09 November 2022. “ Anyway, the examination of the request is in progress. For such issues, the dialogue takes place directly between the two presidents ,” he added. Retracing the course of a request for armaments made by Ukraine, he added that the Ukrainians " know perfectly how to define their needs and they only ask us for what we are able to provide them ".

In December 2022, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal, on the air of the French TV channel LCI , called on Paris to supply Kiev with Leclerc tanks. "We will need weapons, including rockets, which we use every day," Shmyhal said. "We ask that tanks be sent to us, namely French Leclerc tanks," he said.

Earlier, the Le Monde newspaper reported that stockpiles of weapons in Western countries, including the United States, had reached critically low levels due to deliveries to Kiev, and the possibilities for replenishing them were very limited.

France had delivered 18 Caesar self-propelled guns to Ukraine, from 6 to 12 vehicles with expanded ammunition and enhanced armor, according to the Le Monde newspaper, Paris plans to transfer to Kyiv from among the Caesars ordered by Denmark. The French Ministry of the Armed Forces also approved the transfer to Ukraine of 155 mm TRF1 towed howitzers, which were put into service in 1979.

In addition to howitzers, France had already handed over to Ukraine armored vehicles, Milan anti-tank missiles, Mistral portable anti-aircraft missile systems, uniforms, dry rations, radiation, chemical and biological protection, first aid kits. Also, according to the newspaper, Paris handed over shells and cartridges "of all calibers" and fuel to Kyiv.

The Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu mentioned the Leclercs in an uninviting way during an intervention 18 January 2023 in the Senate. " For the Leclerc tanks, the President of the Republic asked us, the Chief of Staff and myself, to investigate this Ukrainian request, subject all the same to the analysis of three criteria ", explained the minister, detailing for arms supplies in Kiev the following three imperatives: maintaining a “ defensive logic in controlling escalation ”; the fact of “ not damaging our security and defense model ”; the " maintenance in operational condition " of equipment. "The question of the Leclerc tanks is particularly central and sensitive ” concerning this last point, Sébastien Lecornu specified, implicitly evoking the logistical difficulties that such a choice would represent.

For Frédéric Coste, senior researcher at the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), contacted by 20 Minutes, there are several reasons that prevent Paris from participating in this particular military effort, and in particular the available fleet of Leclerc tanks at the present time.

France considers that with the distribution of the AMX-10 RC tanks, "it has just taken a step" in its military support in Kiev "because it is heavy equipment", in addition to the Caesar guns already on site, he explains. In addition, "France has continued to reduce its Leclerc fleet and only has 200 left, but it needs them for its own protection", develops the research master. And that is mainly the problem.

A total of 200 Leclerc tanks will be renovated for the Army by 2029. The first objective of this renovation is to integrate the Leclerc main battle tank, known as "XLR", into the SCORPION collaborative warfare system with a new combat information system (SICS). The XLR is equipped with the CONTACT radio and the vetronics common to SCORPION vehicles. In addition, its protection and aggression capabilities are raised to the highest level, thanks to:

• Enhanced protection against mines and rockets;
• The addition of a 7.62 mm remotely operated turret for urban combat;
• The development of a new fire control system with the ability to fire ammunition with a programmable effect or trigger.

On 29 December 2022, the French defense procurement agency (DGA) awarded Nexter an order for 50 renovated Leclerc tanks (XLR). Industrial qualification tests continued in close collaboration with the DGA and the French army. A first prototype tank was delivered to the DGA at the end of 2022, and the first 18 operational tanks will be delivered to the Army in 2023, in accordance with the schedule of the renovation contract awarded to Nexter on 1 June 2021.