Nexter has received a $347.6 million contract from the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) to modernize 200 Leclerc tanks and 18 recovery vehicles in 2020.
A third generation tank that is highly automated and has diagnostic assistance, the Leclerc now gives French land forces “first entry” capability as part of an international coalition. The modernization work aims to keep this capacity beyond 2040, Nexter said March 12.
This is the third action launched by the French Ministry of Defense under the Scorpion program to modernize forces that come in contact with adversaries. In December, DGA issued the first Scorpion contract for approximately $932 million to a temporary consortium consisting of Nexter, Renault Trucks Defense and Thales to replace numerous older armored vehicles.
The tank work will allow the Leclerc to make the best use of its firepower and mobility within the future joint tactical groups (GTIA).
With the development of specific interfaces for the new Contact tactical radio system and the
Photo: French Ministry of Defense
Scorpion information and command system (SICS), the tank will be able to network with all components of the future Scorpion GRIAs.
Also, protection upgrades through specific armor kits will allow the tank to deal more effective against new threats, such as IEDs.