Behind the ceremonial passes on the Champs-Élysées, France is reshaping how its 57-tonne Leclerc will fight in the 2030s. The key change is not a new engine or extra armour, but a cutting‑edge 120 mm kinetic energy round designed to punch through the latest Russian-style protection systems – and keep Western tanks relevant until their next generation finally arrives.
A 57-tonne veteran that still has to win the first shot
The Leclerc entered service in the 1990s and around 800 have been delivered worldwide. For France, it remains the backbone of heavy armoured units. Yet its basic platform is over three decades old, and battlefields have moved on.
Modern tank combat often comes down to seconds. The crew that spots first, calculates fastest and fires the most effective round usually wins. Against that backdrop, the type of ammunition loaded in the 120 mm gun often matters more than sheer armour thickness or engine power.
The most lethal anti‑tank option for NATO 120 mm guns is the long-rod kinetic round, often called a “sabot” or “arrow” round. Rather than exploding, it relies purely on speed and density to punch through armour.
The new French 120 mm SHARD round aims to restore a clear penetration edge against the toughest modern armour, without relying on depleted uranium.
These darts follow a simple logic pushed to the extreme: a very long, very dense penetrator, fired at extremely high velocity, focusing its energy on a tiny impact point. Impact speeds typically exceed 1,500 metres per second, turning the rod into something closer to a hyper‑fast punch than a traditional shell.
Why kinetic “arrow” rounds still rule tank‑on‑tank duels
Three factors largely dictate how well these rounds work against armour:
- Rod length: longer penetrators tend to be more stable in flight and dig deeper into armour stacks.
- Muzzle velocity: higher initial speed means far greater kinetic energy at impact.
- Accuracy: depends both on projectile design and on the tank’s fire‑control computer and sensors.
As composite, reactive and active protection systems proliferate, marginal gains matter. A few percentage points more penetration can be the difference between a disabled tank and one that can still fire back.
Shard, Europe’s answer to tougher armour
A new generation 120 mm round without depleted uranium
To respond to rapidly evolving armour technologies, Franco‑German group KNDS has developed SHARD, a new 120 mm kinetic energy round aimed squarely at high‑intensity warfare. Its purpose is straightforward: give Western tanks a renewed advantage against the heaviest protected opponents.
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SHARD is built around a dense proprietary alloy and deliberately excludes depleted uranium, which is politically and environmentally sensitive in several countries. That choice forces the engineers to squeeze maximum performance from geometry, metallurgy and propellant design.
The penetrator has been lengthened and optimised to survive enormous mechanical stress during firing while remaining extremely stable in flight. KNDS claims around 15% more penetration compared with previous Western rounds, while at the same time reducing barrel wear by roughly 25%.
Less barrel erosion means more shots before replacement, lower maintenance costs and better tank availability during long campaigns.
One round for many NATO tanks
From a logistics perspective, SHARD has a major advantage. It is compatible with standard NATO smoothbore barrels: the shorter L44 and the longer L55. This means it can be fired from the French Leclerc, German Leopard 2, Italian Ariete and US M1 Abrams with only limited integration work.
For NATO armies, that opens the prospect of a common high‑end kinetic round across much of the alliance, easing supply during crises and joint operations.
French orders: from paper tender to live rounds in 2026
In December 2023, a French procurement notice quietly signalled a shift in ammunition planning. Paris is preparing to renew its 120 mm kinetic round stocks for the 2026–2032 period.
The figures tell the story: between 2,400 and 6,600 rounds are to be delivered, with first batches expected in 2026. That range reflects both operational uncertainty and an intent to rebuild war‑fighting depth after years of limited stocks.
France’s approach is clearly influenced by lessons from the war in Ukraine. Tanks without the right ammunition quickly become static bunkers rather than mobile spearheads. Stocks must be not only sufficient in quantity, but also modern enough to defeat the armour they will actually face.
The tender specifies kinetic energy penetrators compatible with Leclerc, while leaving room for future improvements. It also underlines industrial sovereignty, at a time when supply chains for critical materials are under pressure and export restrictions are tightening.
For Paris, control over ammunition production has become almost as strategic as the tanks themselves.
In this context, KNDS and its SHARD round look well placed, though rival European and Israeli suppliers are watching the requirement closely.
Eurosatory 2024: Leclerc xlr as a bridge to the next tank
At defence show Eurosatory 2024, France presented the Leclerc XLR – the mid‑life upgrade bringing the tank into the SCORPION digital combat architecture. Far from being a museum piece, the Leclerc is being recast as a “bridge tank” expected to serve well beyond 2035, while the Franco‑German MGCS future tank slips towards the 2040s.
This transition demands coherence. New sensors, a digitised fire-control system and new ammunition have to work together. The French defence procurement agency plans to award a state qualification contract for SHARD around 2025. Once cleared, the round will be integrated into the XLR’s new fire-control suite, paving the way for larger deliveries towards the end of the decade.
By around 2030, France aims to have refreshed the entire Leclerc combat ammunition family. SHARD is one piece of a broader puzzle that was built into the Leclerc renovation plan from the start.
Leclerc xlr: what the upgraded 57-tonne tank looks like
The XLR programme is not a full redesign. It is a life‑extension package capped at roughly 200 tanks, bringing them to a standard compatible with other SCORPION vehicles. The focus lies on digital networking, better protection and more agile engagement of close threats.
| Category | Key data |
|---|---|
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Combat weight | ≈ 57 tonnes |
| Crew | 3 (commander, gunner, driver) |
| Main armament | CN120-26 120 mm smoothbore gun |
| Combat ammunition | APFSDS rounds (legacy and, in future, SHARD), high‑explosive shells |
| Secondary armament | 12.7 mm coaxial MG, remote‑controlled 7.62 mm turret |
| Fire control | New digitised system ready for next‑generation rounds |
| Sensors | Day/night optronic sights for commander and gunner, with upgrades from 2028 |
| Protection | Modular composite armour, reinforced passive protection |
| Additional protection | Anti‑IED jammer, decoy systems, extra belly and side armour |
| Engine | V8X hyperbar diesel, 1,500 hp |
| Top speed | ≈ 70 km/h on road |
| Range | ≈ 550 km |
| Digital systems | Full SCORPION integration, networked combat |
| Interoperability | NATO standards, cross‑arm data exchange |
| XLR entry into service | Deliveries from 2023, build‑up towards 2030 |
The first 18 serial XLRs were delivered in January 2025, with production ramping up towards the 200‑tank target at the start of the next decade. Yet planners in Paris remain wary of a capability gap between roughly 2027 and 2035, when a numerically limited but modernised fleet will have to manage growing threats.
Discussions around a possible “transition tank” – such as a Leclerc Mk3 derivative or the Franco‑German EMBT demonstrator concept – are meant to address that risk, with key decisions expected by 2026.
How the new round changes real combat scenarios
On a hypothetical Eastern European battlefield in the early 2030s, a French Leclerc XLR might face upgraded T‑72s, T‑90 variants or future Russian designs protected by layers of composite armour, explosive bricks and active protection systems that try to intercept incoming rounds.
A SHARD‑type kinetic penetrator, fired from a modernised fire-control system, seeks to defeat that stack in several ways. High velocity reduces the time in which active defences can react. The dense, elongated rod is shaped to stay intact for as long as possible while boring through successive layers. Its extra penetration margin aims to maintain lethality even if the impact angle is less than ideal or reactive elements disrupt part of the rod.
For the crew, that translates into slightly better odds in a duel where fractions of a second and a few centimetres of residual penetration can decide whether a target is merely damaged or fully neutralised.
What “kinetic energy” and “sabot” actually mean
The jargon around these rounds can sound abstract. “Kinetic energy” in this context is simply the energy a moving object carries due to its mass and speed. Double the speed and the energy quadruples, which is why designers chase very high muzzle velocities rather than just heavier projectiles.
“Sabot” refers to the lightweight carrier that holds the thin metal dart in place inside the gun barrel. As the round exits the muzzle, the sabot peels away, leaving only the long rod to fly towards the target at extreme speed. The Leclerc’s fire‑control computer constantly accounts for wind, barrel wear, temperature and target movement to keep that dart on course.
Risks, benefits and what comes next
Relying on such high‑energy rounds carries trade‑offs. Barrel life becomes a limiting factor for training, as each shot subtly erodes the inner lining. This is where SHARD’s lower wear profile offers a financial and operational benefit, freeing more live‑fire capacity without constant barrel changes.
On the flip side, adversaries are investing in hard‑kill active protection systems designed to shoot down incoming rounds. Kinetic penetrators are challenging targets due to their speed and small cross‑section, but not impossible to engage. Future upgrades may combine improved darts with smarter tactics, such as coordinated salvos or mixed loads of kinetic and programmable explosive rounds to saturate defences.
For France, the pairing of the Leclerc XLR and SHARD does not create an entirely new tank. Instead, it buys time: a heavier punch for a 57‑tonne veteran, matched to digital eyes and ears, so that it can remain a credible frontline asset while Europe slowly builds its next generation of armoured heavyweights.