French diplomacy says Ukraine was unclear whether it wanted the Leclercs because their maintenance and repair are more complex than the Leopard 2, but the French press has also reported in recent weeks that the French general does not want to get rid of its Leclercs. were because they believe the 226 is an insufficient arsenal for a country like FranceWhich was more than 800 20 years ago. Moreover, only 60% of Leclerc, says the newspaper Le Monde, can be mobilized, the rest are destined for training.
The French arsenal has been significantly reduced since the end of the Cold War and the military was already to see how Macron sent 18 of the 76 ‘Caesar’ self-propelled guns to Ukraine. France went from 37 marines to 19,600 combat aircraft to 195 in 30 years.
French troops are currently being sent to Ukraine The lightly armored AMX-10 RC, a vehicle being retired from service and not suitable for high-intensity combat like a heavy tank. Elysee said on several occasions that Macron had discussed the matter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This one, although it prefers the Leopard 2 or the Abrams, does not hate the Leclerc, although the more tanks it has, the more complex its maintenance. Also because the Leopard 2 is the most common tank in the arsenals of the allied countries of Ukraine and therefore will receive the most units. France, on the other hand, has not sold the Leclerc to anyone in Europe, only to Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, and has not manufactured them since 2008, while its replacement, now known as the ‘Main Ground Combat System’ A German-French project, it will not become operational until 2040.
But the Leclerc also has a much more complicated maintenance chain. France sent 13 such tanks to Romania last spring to join NATO units on the eastern edge of the Atlantic alliance. Those 13 tanks required the deployment of two tank cranes and more than 200 maintenance personnel. Macron “does not rule anything out”, but any shipments would be “under the condition that our own defense capability is not weakened”. The generals say they are already weak.
