France plans to modernise its fleet of  200 Leclerc main battle tanks in the period from 2020 to 2028, said Stephane Mayer in his interview with the La Jaune et la Rouge.

According to Stephane Mayer, the head of the defense company Nexter Systems, the company will be responsible for the modernisation of two hundred Leclerc tanks to the latest standard between 2020 and 2028.

“The aim here is to improve and expand the operational capability of this fourth-generation, state-of-the-art tank in comparison with its competitors”, said Stephane Mayer.

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Meanwhile, as reported earlier, the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) notified Nexter Systems of the Leclerc tank renovation contract. This order constitutes the third operation launched by the French Ministry of Defence under the SCORPION programme intended to modernise the French Army’s contact forces. Valued at approximately €330 million, the contract provides for the delivery of 200 “Renovated Leclerc” tanks and 18 “Renovated DCL” recovery vehicles from 2020.

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The planned renovation work will enable the Leclerc to make the best use of its fire power and mobility within future “SCORPION” joint tactical groups (GTIA).

The renovation operation launched aims to maintain this capacity beyond 2040.