According to the publication, the Armed Forces of the republic have only 226 tanks available, of which 40% are used for training purposesPARIS, January 27.
/tass/. France has too few Leclerc tanks to supply them to Ukraine. This was reported by the newspaper Le Monde.
According to the publication, the Armed Forces of the republic have only 226 tanks available, which, according to the General Staff, "is an extremely limited stock." At the same time, "only 60% of these combat vehicles are used, while the remaining 40% are used for training purposes." In addition, Nexter has not produced Leclerc since 2008, so "every machine delivered to Ukraine cannot be replaced with a new one," while the main battle tank of the new generation MGCS (Main Ground Combat System) is expected to replace Leclerc, according to the newspaper, no earlier than 2040.
The publication, citing a military source, also points to the difficulty of servicing French tanks. According to him, they are "as strong as they are fragile" and require a lot of logistical support during deployment. Despite the similarity of Western combat vehicles, they have different characteristics, "which makes it more difficult for Ukraine to maintain them in working condition."
"Therefore, Ukrainians prefer the German Leopard in their requests. The more tanks they have of the same model, the easier it will be for them to use them. They have the most chances to get a large number of Leopard," the newspaper quotes the source, noting that currently there are about 2 thousand German-made tanks in the European armies, which "is certainly the largest number in Europe."
At the same time, the source notes that "there is no taboo on the supply of Leclerc to Kiev, but they must be effective."
On January 22, at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the French president, answering a question about the possibility of Paris supplying Kiev with Leclerc tanks, said that "nothing is excluded." At the same time, the French leader cited several conditions. He noted that "supplies should not lead to escalation." At the same time, Macron, as another condition for supplies, stressed that they should not damage the defense capability of France itself.