Hi guys,
another really cool website about French Leclerc. Enjoy.
http://www.kithobbyist.com/AFVInteriors/leclerc/leclerc1.html
Yet another site about Western MBTs...
Big, Bad Battle Tanks
Four of the world's most formidable tanks -- representing the UK,
France, Germany, and the US -- are put to the test.
From Britain, the Challenger 2 tank has a 360-degree turning
turret, an L30 gun that can fire eight rounds -- ammunition that
includes armor piercing depleted uranium shells -- in 45 seconds.
With a price tag of $5.5 million, and its relatively short attack
range of 450 kilometers, FFM gives it an overall rating of six (out
of 10).
Next up, from France, it's the Leclerc. While it's the only tank
with an automatic loader in our test, it's still the slowest,
firing at only six rounds per minute. Lighter and faster than the
others, the Leclerc has a top speed of 75 kilometers per hour, and
has a good attack range of 550 kilometers. The $7 million ticket,
however, means an overall FFM rating of three.
The Germans bring us the Leopard 2 battle tank, a relative bargain
at $4.5 million. The Leopard 2 is equipped with a long L55 firing
gun, and can travel at a top speed of 72 kilometers per hour. It's
also built with third-generation composite armor, which should help
a crew of four survive a hostile encounter. The Leopard 2 gets an
FFM rating of three.
Weighing in at 70 tons from the US, is the M1A2, a next-generation
armored tank that helped the US win the Gulf War. At $5 million,
it's not overly expensive. However, the parts are the most costly
of the four tanks. The M1A2, which can travel at 72 kilometers per
hour, is equipped with three machine guns and two smoke grenade
launchers to mask it from enemy thermal imaging devices, and its
cannons can fire three rounds in 12 seconds for a quick pounding.
All in all, it garners a five FFM rating.
http://www.techtv.com/futurefightingmachines/story/0,24330,3383178,00.html[/b]
