France is considering transferring its Leclerc tanks to Ukraine, hoping that Germany will follow its example and supply Ukraine with its Leopard tanks.
This was reported by Politico with reference to one of the officials.
"This topic is complex, and it has not yet been resolved in Paris. But we are thinking about it," the publication quoted its source as saying, without naming him.
Whether to give tanks will be decided during a joint meeting of the governments of France and Germany.
AMX-56 Leclerc tanks are the main tanks of the French army. They were developed in the 80s, and mass production began in 1990. In total, about 900 combat vehicles were produced. Previously, France supplied these tanks to the United Arab Emirates.
At the beginning of January this year, France began the modernization of 200 such tanks, according to which the equipment will receive an updated fire control system and new electronics.
The main weapon of Leclerc is a 120-mm smoothbore gun model CN-120-26, with a barrel length of 52 caliber (6,240 mm), equipped with an automatic loader and stabilized in two planes. The tower structure also has a reserve for the possibility of installing promising tank guns of 140 mm caliber.
Leclerc has automatic loading, this made it possible to reduce the crew to three people and significantly reduce the weight of the armor, and therefore increase the mobility of the vehicle. By the way, the mass of armor was reduced by about 7 tons, if compared with tanks of other countries.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak approved the plan to send 12 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, the first units of armored vehicles should be delivered immediately.
Meanwhile, during his visit to Berlin, the head of the Polish government, Mateusz Morawiecki, wants to hold negotiations on the supply of Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine.
A number of countries are ready to transfer German Leopard tanks to Ukraine, but this can happen only after Germany agrees.
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