AMX Leclerc

The Char Leclerc, is 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 (2ème DB) in World War II.

The Leclerc is in service with the French Army and the army of the United Arab Emirates. 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 a total of 406 Leclerc and the United Arab Emirates Army has 388. The price in 2011 was €9.3 million, which made it the most expensive tank in history at the time. Following the devaluation of the Euro its price fell dramatically, and in 2014 the K2 Black Panther surpassed the Leclerc's price record.

History

In 1964 studies were initiated about a possible replacement vehicle for the AMX 30: the Engin Principal Prospectif. In 1971, in view of the inferiority of the AMX 30 in comparison to the new generation of Soviet tanks about to be introduced, the Direction des Armements Terrestres ordered the beginning of the Char Futur project. In 1975 a working committee was created that in 1977 agreed on a list of specifications. In February 1980 however, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Federal Republic of Germany involving the joint development of a MBT, called the Napoléon I in France and Kampfpanzer III in Germany. Fundamental disagreements about its desired configuration led to a failure of this cooperation in December 1982. It was announced that a purely French battle tank would be developed, called "EPC" (Engin Principal de Combat). Importation of foreign equipment, like the M1 Abrams, the Leopard 2, or the Merkava had been studied and rejected.

AMX

AMX may refer to:

AMC AMX

The AMC AMX is a two-seat GT-style sports car that was produced by American Motors Corporation for the 1968 through 1970 model years. The AMX was also classified as a muscle car, but "unique among other American cars at the time due its short wheelbase". The AMX was also the only American-built steel-bodied two-seater of its time, the first since the 1955-1957 Ford Thunderbird. To a degree, the AMX was a competitor with America's only other two-seater of the era, the Chevrolet Corvette for substantially less money. With a one-inch (2.5 cm) shorter wheelbase than Chevrolet's two-seater, the AMX was often seen by the press as a "Corvette competitor"

Fitted with the optional high-compression medium block 390 cu in (6.4 L) AMC V8 engine, the AMX offered top-notch performance at an affordable price. In spite of this value and enthusiastic initial reception by automotive media and enthusiasts, sales never thrived. However, the automaker's larger objectives to refocus AMC's image on performance and to bring younger customers into its dealer showrooms was achieved. After three model years, the two-seat version was discontinued, and the AMX's now signature badging was transferred to a high-performance version of its four-seat sibling, the Javelin, from 1971-1974.

AMX-10P

The AMX-10P is a French infantry fighting vehicle. It was developed after 1965 to replace the AMX-VCI in French service; the first prototypes were completed in 1968. It has NBC protection and amphibious capabilities, with hydro jets to swim in water. The AMX-10P has been operated in the past by France, the United Arab Emirates, Greece, Indonesia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Mexico.

The first production vehicles were delivered in 1973 to the 7th Mechanised Brigade stationed at Reims.

The AMX-10P mounts a GIAT M693 20 mm automatic cannon with a day sight with 6× magnification. The cannon, which has an effective range of 1,500 metres, has a rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute. The frontal armour protects against 23 mm API and 14.5 mm API rounds, while all-round protection is against small arms bullets and artillery shell splinters only. In the French Army, 108 were to be upgraded between 2006 and 2008, improving the armour and mobility. The modifications will significantly increase the vehicles' protection with the installation of add-on armour, while improving mobility by fitting new suspension systems and a strengthened gearbox. The AMX 10P tracked IFV will be upgraded by Giat Industries.

Leclerc (disambiguation)

Leclerc is a main battle tank built by Nexter of France.

Leclerc may also refer to:

LeClerc

Leclerc, Le Clerc, LeClerc (for North-Americans of French descent only) and le Clerc are typical French or Francophone surnames which can refer to: