Nexter AZUR® protection kit for the United Arab Emirates army main battle tank Leclerc

 

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IDEX 2011
International Defence Exhibition & Conference
Abu Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates
20 - 24 February 2011
 
AZUR KIT for Main battle tank Leclerc
 

Tuesday, 24 February 2011, 04:55 PM

 
Nexter AZUR® protection kit for the United Arab Emirates army main battle tank Leclerc.
 
 
At the international defence exhibition IDEX 2011, the French Company Nexter announced to have received an order from the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates, for the delivery of a protection kit for the main battle tank Leclerc tank, named “AZUR”.
     
At the international defence exhibition IDEX 2011, the French Company Nexter announced to have received an order from the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates, for the delivery of a protection kit for the main battle tank Leclerc tank, named AZUR
Main battle tank Leclerc from the United Arab Emirates Army
     

From the first delivery of AMX30 MBTs in the late 70' to the logistic support of the Leclerc fleet, Nexter has been supporting the UAE armed forces for more than 30 years. Nexter congratulates UAE forces at the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Idex exhibition.

Nexter provides the UAE and French forces as well as many forces around the world with advanced combat systems, AFV, munitions and logistic services. Those assets are widely deployed in overseas theaters, Afghanistan being the most demanding. Nexter is a major supplier of the navies (vessels and air assets) for high performances weaponery and protection systems.

     
At the international defence exhibition IDEX 2011, the French Company Nexter announced to have received an order from the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates, for the delivery of a protection kit for the main battle tank Leclerc tank, named AZUR
AZUR® KIT (ADAPTATION OF THE LECLERC TANK TO ACTIONS IN URBAN ZONES)
     
AZUR® KIT (ADAPTATION OF THE LECLERC TANK TO ACTIONS IN URBAN ZONES)
STAT initiated the operation at the end of 2005 for the official opening of CENZUB (Centre d'Entraînement aux actions en Zone Urbaine - Urban Operations Training Centre) planned for September 2006. The objective was that when the training centre was opened, ABC equipment would be
presented “equipped” for the situation.

The basic principle of the project was REACTIVE ADAPTATION of armoured vehicles to the very specific context of ACTION IN URBAN AREAS.

This principle of reactive adaptation implied the use of simple and efficient solutions that can be developed quickly and installed (in the form of a kit) on the vehicles concerned since the need is specific and limited in time and space.

The concept of action in urban areas is fundamentally opposed to combat in urban areas, and the objective was to have a graduated response capability beginning at the "crowd control" level using non-lethal weapons without reducing the full capability of the tanks.

In addition, wherever possible, the developed kits should be common to the different vehicles and installable on armoured vehicles in open areas by the crew in less than half a day, in order to reduce the logistics footprint.

After working to make a common analysis of operational needs based on feedback from experience, technical solutions were produced in order to make a functional demonstrator for each equipment item loaned by EMAT (Army Headquarters) so as to make an operational evaluation at the CENZUB at the end of 2006 – beginning of 2007.

The study made on "needs of an inter-army tactical group engaged in urban area" identifying 42 threats and/or risks classified according to treatmen priorities, concluded that LECLERC AZUR demonstrator should have the following functions on an S2 tank:
- Remotely operated 7.62 cupola independent of the gunner with an integrated sight camera.
- 4 VAB, VBL, and VBCI compatible multi-purpose jettisonable boxes suitable for carrying standard military replenishment equipment: munition boxes, water jerricans, stretchers, etc.
- 360° "near" vision capacity around the tank;
GALIX NL or ALR carrying capacity eventually with differential control of launcher pots by "zone".
- Ability to supply civil and/or military "accessories" including a spot light, megaphone, telephone charger, video camera, drink warmers etc.
- Ability for "wireless" communications up to 200m with 1 to 3 offboard infantrymen.
- Add-on special protection (non-reactive) against the RPG7 threat around 360°.
- Protection of engine and air conditioning accesses, and exhaust, against "incendiary" type aggressions
- Add-on signalling system for "mutual identification of different vehicles "
- Signalling system during tank reversing movements (safety of infantry men).