Post by ukron on Feb 5, 2024 15:29:48 GMT
Appearing (on paper) at Eurosatory 2012, but announced in 2009, the Leclerc T40 was intended as an ambitious project for a specialized armored vehicle for urban combat: the trick was to convert a Leclerc AZUR (Action en Zone Urbaine) with a light CT40 turret (40mm CTA gun) and a SHARK protection kit.
Designed for urban combat and fire support for infantry operations, the T40 was similar in concept to the Russian BMP-T Terminator, with one major difference designed to reduce production costs: the ability to convert standard Leclercs into T40s quickly and reversibly.
The CT40 turret (already tested on the AMX-10 RC) offered a good compromise between armor (STANAG5, resistance to 25mm shells at a distance of 500m) and firepower (the BAE-Nexter automatic telescopic cannon had a capacity of 200 rounds/minute with APFSDS and GPRPD ammunition) for an armored vehicle made quite responsive (top speed 75km/h) thanks to a 1,500hp Wärtsilä V8.
Promising indeed, but perhaps too innovative and unprecedented for the French army, which was (rightly) questioning the usefulness of developing a vehicle similar to the BMP-T at a time when it was developing the Scorpion program.
Designed for urban combat and fire support for infantry operations, the T40 was similar in concept to the Russian BMP-T Terminator, with one major difference designed to reduce production costs: the ability to convert standard Leclercs into T40s quickly and reversibly.
The CT40 turret (already tested on the AMX-10 RC) offered a good compromise between armor (STANAG5, resistance to 25mm shells at a distance of 500m) and firepower (the BAE-Nexter automatic telescopic cannon had a capacity of 200 rounds/minute with APFSDS and GPRPD ammunition) for an armored vehicle made quite responsive (top speed 75km/h) thanks to a 1,500hp Wärtsilä V8.
Promising indeed, but perhaps too innovative and unprecedented for the French army, which was (rightly) questioning the usefulness of developing a vehicle similar to the BMP-T at a time when it was developing the Scorpion program.