Nexter Systems has won US$350 million contract to upgrade 200 Leclerc main battle tanks (MBTs), the French defence procurement agency (DGA) announced on Thursday.
The contract also includes the modernisation of 18 Leclerc chassis-based DCL (Dépanneur de Char Leclerc) heavy recovery vehicles. The modernised fleet will be re-delivered from 2020. The renovation project launched aims to maintain this capacity beyond 2040.
The modernization project aims to improve the tank's ability to meet current operational scenarios, including asymmetric warfare environment and to better cope with changing threats, especially types of improvised explosive devices.