tank/vehicles Leclerc Série 2

[FORMATOSE 901]

 

Leclerc Série 2

 

 

Table of contents :

 

1. History

2. Why adding the Leclerc S2 would be beneficial to War Thunder ?

3. Specifications

4. New features

5. Sources

 

 

History

 

When the Leclerc main battle tank entered in service in 1993, it was deemed that it was only optimized to operate in Europe and not in tropical environments. Future improvements were already considered.

At the same time, Giat Industries was working on the tropicalized Leclerc, an upmarket export variant of the Leclerc MBT which was tailored to the requirements of the UAE army.

In 1992, a French Leclerc S1 conducted mobility and firing trials in the hot desert environment of the United Arab Emirates for research purposes. On this opportunity, it was fitted with a roof-mounted air conditioner. Some specific components (such as the sprocket cooling fins) initially developed for the tropicalized Leclerc were re-used on the Leclerc S2.

Later, five Leclerc S2 conducted qualification testing in Qatar, the tests were closely supervised by the Technical Section of the Army (STAT).

The Leclerc Série 2 (also known as S2) represents the first improvement phase of the Leclerc main battle tank after its introduction.

The main purpose of these improvements was to allow the new French main battle tank to operate abroad, in tropical and desert environments. 176 Leclerc S2 were produced in three batches (Block 6 to Block 9) between 1997 and 2003.

 

Why adding the Leclerc S2 would be beneficial to War Thunder ?

This will allow the French tech tree players to have a second Leclerc main battle tank.

 

Specifications

• Year : March 1997
• Number built : 176
• Combat weight : 56.3 tonnes
• Armament : CN120-26 L/52 smoothbore gun (40 rounds)

• Gunner sight : SAGEM HL 60 (Athos thermal imager) or HL 130 (Iris thermal imager) day/night sight, the head of the gunner sight is slaved to the main gun and follow the movements of the gun in its elevation and depression

• Commander sight : SFIM HL 70 day/night (image intensifier) panoramic sight

• Secondary armament : one Browning M2 coaxial heavy machine gun (800 rounds, single shot or 8-round burst) + one roof-mounted AA F1 7.62 mm machine gun (2000 rounds, elevation : -10° to + 40°)
• Protection : turret and the hull are made of welded steel plates on which removable composite armor modules are mounted + high-hardness steel plates bolted onto the sponsons sides
• Engine : V8X1500 Hyperbar diesel engine
• Engine power : 1500 hp at 2500 RPM
• Transmission : SESM ESM 500 (automatic gear shifting, 5 forwards and 2 reverse gears)
• Suspension : hydropneumatic (vertical travel : 300 mm bump + 109 mm rebound)
• Power-to-weight ratio : 26.6 hp/t
• Acceleration : 0 to 32 km/h in 5 seconds
• Top speed : 71 km/h (38 km/h in reverse)

 

New features (7)

 

Overview  Série 1 vs Série 2 :

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

1. High-hardness steel plates bolted onto the sponsons sides :

 

Spoiler

The sides of the hull are reinforced by bolt-on armor plates :

 

 

 

Right side :

 

 

 

 

 

2. OFL 120 F2 APFSDS :

 

Spoiler

In a nutshell, the OFL 120 F2 is, apart from a few details, a depleted uranium version of the OFL 120 F1 APFSDS.

 

Giat industries started developing the OFL 120 F2 in 1989 and the round entered production in 1996, shortly before the fielding of the Leclerc S2.

 

According to the French miitary historian Stéphane Ferrard, the density of its depleted uranium alloy increase the penetration performance from at least 15% compared to a tungsten alloy penetrator.

 

Being slightly heavier (4,48 kg instead of 4 kg), it has a muzzle velocity of 1740 m/s (1790 m/s for the OFL 120 F1).

 

The OFL 120 F2 is on the far right :

 

 

 

 

3. New Iris thermal imager :

 

Spoiler

Since the ninth production batch (Block 9), the HL 60 gunner sight and its Athos thermal imager is superseded by the newer HL 130 gunner sight. The HL 130 uses the new Iris thermal imager offering a resolution of 576 x 746 pixels.

 

http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product2087.html

 

 

4. Slightly thicker armor :

 

Spoiler

To keep the turret balanced, the left corner of the turret front armor has been thickened to counterbalance the weight of the newly fitted military-grade armored air conditioner (pic below).

 

 

 

 

5. Steel mud guard on the hull front :

Spoiler

Série 2

 

 

Série 1

 

 

 

 

6. Cooling fins on each sprocket:

 

Spoiler

Série 2

 

 

Série 1

 

 

7. New bustle racks :

Spoiler

 

Série 2

 

 

Série 1

 

 

Sources :

• Stéphane Ferrard : Le Système Leclerc

• Marc Chassillan : Char Leclerc : De la guerre froide aux conflits de demain

• Raids Hors-Série n°3

[ItssLuBu 1,793]

Approved and open for discussion. 

[Cedjoe 5,481]

Nice, that's hopefully the one they're working on 

[eleks12 1,076]

+1

[Milocat 4,842]

+1, looks like another great top-tier tank for the French tree.

[RavagerNick 2]

+1 OMG Yes!!!

Can't wait for my Leclerc to have a buddy.

[MonkeyBussiness 1,228]

+1

[DrWhiskey 1,324]

It would definitely be a nice addition, but i dont think we will see it before t90, 2a6, m1a2 sep etc...

[SELMAC 145]

Thanks for the infos. It definitely should be implemented.

 

My only question is : why not adding the S3 or XLR version instead ? I mean, judging by how Gaijin treats the french trees it's obvious we won't see all the variants of the Leclerc in game...or at least not before a decade. So why not adding a more modern version that brings more modifications ? So we don't spend a million for the same tank.

[Jarms 1,555]

9 hours ago, SELMAC said:

Thanks for the infos. It definitely should be implemented.

 

My only question is : why not adding the S3 or XLR version instead ? I mean, judging by how Gaijin treats the french trees it's obvious we won't see all the variants of the Leclerc in game...or at least not before a decade. So why not adding a more modern version that brings more modifications ? So we don't spend a million for the same tank.

The idea is to have a backup 10.3 machine so players aren’t forced to pull out the AMX-40 or AMX-32. The series 2 would essentially be the what the Type-90B is for Japan. 

[UrDidact 94]

I read somewhere that the first AZUR kit was installed on a Leclerc S2 in 2006 for Eurosatory. It could be a good unlockable module so the tank can feel a bit different from the S1.

What do you guys think ?

[MonkeyBussiness 1,228]

On 10/05/2020 at 17:39, DrWhiskey said:

It would definitely be a nice addition, but i dont think we will see it before t90, 2a6, m1a2 sep etc...

it was confirmed in the last q&a that a new leclerc is coming soon-ish

[Mr_Pokemon26295 358]

+1 France does need more backup at top tier wonder if they will remove the commander's thermals from the Series 1 tho when its added

Edit: I've seen that the S1 didn't have commander's thermals.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Mr_Pokemon26295

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On 11/05/2020 at 19:57, SELMAC said:

why not adding the S3

 

The S3 designation doesn't exist, it's either SXXI or S2.1.

 

Data on its protection level are still classified.

 

On 11/05/2020 at 19:57, SELMAC said:

or XLR version instead ?

 

Same problem as above, with even less information (not even in service).

 

18 hours ago, UrDidact said:

I read somewhere that the first AZUR kit was installed on a Leclerc S2 in 2006 for Eurosatory. It could be a good unlockable module so the tank can feel a bit different from the S1.

What do you guys think ?

 

The protection level offered by the add-on composite side skirts remains unknown.

 

[UrDidact 94]

On 13/05/2020 at 13:03, Auto_tracking said:

The protection level offered by the add-on composite side skirts remains unknown.

 

This argument doesn't hold much water now that we are going to get the Challenger 2F and its classified armor package.

[Yedidya 357]

On 15/05/2020 at 20:17, UrDidact said:

This argument doesn't hold much water now that we are going to get the Challenger 2F and its classified armor package.

 

Doesn't hold much water anyway, even without Challenger 2F due to most of the modern MBTs have still classified armor packages and the exact composition of their armor.

[LancePosting 31]

the French top tier lineup cruely lacks decent tanks, the Leclerc s1 is completely alone in his lineup and another tank has been needed for months yet is still not coming, hopefully this should be brought to warthunder urgently to bridge the gap beetween the empty French top tier lineup and the other nations.

[Wilhuff_Tarkin_ 467]

Yes please France needs more rank VII tanks

[SELMAC 145]

RIP french MBTs for this update...

[DrWhiskey 1,324]

Ofc nothing even remotely supporting leclerc on french ground for more than a f***ing year. JUST BRILLIANT. Giving sweden a new 90C after the patch they got introduced and meanwhile france sitting with the 'NOT SO BAD GARBAGE 40' for over a year. Very nice..

[TheFuzzieOne 3,355]

Removing the thermals from the commander view on the Series 1, and then adding Series 2 (which I believe DID have comm thermals?) would be a good move, now that most nations have a backup top tier.

Edited May 22, 2020 by TheFuzzieOne

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On 22/05/2020 at 17:37, TheFuzzieOne said:

and then adding Series 2 (which I believe DID have comm thermals?)

 

Nope, the S2 still retains the HL 70 panoramic sight and its image intensifier.

Edited May 23, 2020 by FORMATOSE

[IWSM_soundmod 354]

On 22/05/2020 at 17:37, TheFuzzieOne said:

Removing the thermals from the commander view on the Series 1, and then adding Series 2 (which I believe DID have comm thermals?) would be a good move, now that most nations have a backup top tier.

Yes, WT need a second Leclerc 10.3

On 13/05/2020 at 13:03, FORMATOSE said:

 

The S3 designation doesn't exist, it's either SXXI or S2.1.

 

No! The SXXI = S3 or T12. Not 2.1

[TheFuzzieOne 3,355]

38 minutes ago, FORMATOSE said:

 

Nope, the S2 still retains the HL 70 panoramic sight and its image intensifier.

 

Interesting, so it was only from the SXXI that they added one (in French active service)?

[FORMATOSE 901]

12 hours ago, MathMilitary said:

No! The SXXI = S3 or T12. Not 2.1

 

The S3 designation doesn't exist, the army refused to call it S3 and the S2.1 designation (later known as S21, SXXI) was ultimately chosen.

 

T12 only refers to a specific production batch.

 

12 hours ago, TheFuzzieOne said:

Interesting, so it was only from the SXXI that they added one (in French active service)?

 

The HL 120 panoramic sight of the Leclerc SXXI features the Iris thermal imager and a built-in laser rangefinder.

 

The tropicalized Leclerc (my suggestion) uses the HL 80 panoramic sight (Alis thermal imager + laser rangefinder).