Mobility for evading enemy fire and fire control systems were given particular attention. In contrast to most Western programmes of the time, more emphasis was placed on active than passive protection to limit overall vehicle mass. The importation of foreign equipment, like the M1 Abrams, the Leopard 2, or the Merkava, had been studied and rejected. It was announced that a purely French battle tank would be developed, called 'EPC' ( Engin Principal de Combat). Fundamental disagreements about its desired configuration led to a failure of this cooperation in December 1982. In February 1980 however, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with West Germany involving the joint development of a MBT, called the Napoléon I in France and Kampfpanzer III in Germany. In 1975, a working committee was created, and in 1977 it agreed on a list of specifications. In 1971, in view of the inferiority of the AMX-30 in comparison to the new generation of Soviet tanks about to be introduced, the Direction des Armements Terrestres ordered the beginning of the Char Futur project. In 1964, studies were initiated about a possible replacement vehicle for the AMX-30 main battle tank: the Engin Principal Prospectif. Of the units in French service, 200 will be upgraded to the Leclerc XLR standard with deliveries expected to begin in 2022. With production now complete, the French operate 222 Leclercs (with 184 more in storage, for a total of 406), while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) possesses 388.

In production since 1991, the Leclerc entered French service in 1992, replacing the AMX-30 as the country's main armoured platform. The Leclerc is in service with the French Army, Jordanian Army and the United Arab Emirates Army. It was named in honor of Marshal Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, a commander of the Free French Forces, who led the 2nd Armoured Division in World War II.

The Leclerc is a third-generation French main battle tank developed and manufactured by Nexter Systems.

Modern french tanks