Alzoc

As for France education is mandatory and free from age 6 to 16 but practically everybody (at least for my generation born in the 90s) start at 3 and goes at least to the Baccalauréat (referred as Bac from now on)  which you get at 18:
 

 
Secondary education is divided in two:
 
"Collège" in green and "Lycée" in red.
There is an exam between the two but nowadays it's a joke since most people get enough point simply by attending the class and not being really bad at school (and I mean really extreme case). It has the advantage to give a first experience of what an exam is at the age of 14.
 
When you start the "Lycée" at age 15 you have several choices:
 
-Géneral study (top middle), divided in three sections: Literature (L), Economics ans Sociology (ES) and Science (S)
 
Choosing science you can potentially access any kind of higher education, ES will restrict your choice a bit and L is a trash section unless you really really want to get a PhD in the field: basically zero job opportunity at the end of the line (which most 14 yo kids don't have a clue about).
All sections will get the same subject, but the hourly ratio and the level of the lesson will change greatly:
 
Subjects being:
English + a secondary language French History-Geography Physics-Chemistry Biology-Geology-Mineralogy Maths Philosophy (1 year only) Economics and Sociology Various electives for your personal interest  
-Then you have the Technologic Bac (top right). It drop all of the Biology-Geology-Mineralogy as well as economics and sociology, chemistry and philosophy. It is a bac which focus solely on engineering, teaching you stuff that the more general scientist will learn only during higher education.
 
-Finally there is the Professional Bac (top left) which is here to teach you a job. It is in general highly frowned upon and regarded as the trash of the trash by the society which is a bad thing since not everybody is good at studying and some are better off learning a job( and it will be more enjoyable for them too).
 
In the end even getting your Bac won't get you a job which require even the smallest qualifications ever (not even talking about people dropping school at 16), even for the professional Bac.
So most people go on with higher education:
 

This chart start right after you get your Bac (18 yo).
From then you have to choose between short study or long study.
Unless specified all those formations are free since they are managed by the state (you only pay the campus fee which is between 300 and  1000 € a year)
Nowadays most of those formations can be done in part-time training, and if not they at least include mandatory internship of various duration.
 
For the short study:
 
-BTS (2 yr) which is what you do after a professional bac and want to work ASAP (Baker, Qualified industrial worker, salesman/woman, etc)
-DUT (2 yr) which is what you do when you come from the general bac (either ES or S) and want to work as technician in a lab, an informatician, etc : Basically a salaryman
-Licence pro (3yr) can be done after a DUT (sometimes a BTS but most of them will fail) for those who want's to be salaryman+ (small bump in your wages)
 
You can on with long study after a DUT or a licence pro if you want and have the level.
 
For the long study:
 
University, nothing particular Licence then Master degree.
A particularity that makes for strong controversy is that in France access to higher education is considered to be a basic right if you managed to get your Bac (no matter which section).
Which mean that a literary person can go into a science major and vice-versa, someone coming from a professional formation can go to science major etc, and the university cannot refuse it.
Obviously most people doing that fail which lead to a failure rate of 46% for the first year in university, and that's a problem (plus the cost of the formation assumed by the state is just wasted on those person).
 
CPGE which are 2 yr of prep school in order to pass a competitive exam for "Les grand écoles" (Great school literally). The higher your ranking the better your chance to access a renowned school.
Some of those school have their own prep shcool and recruit people directly after their bac if they are promising.
 
Now those "Grande écoles" are made up of famous engineering school, business or management school, architecture, high level administration, veterinary, etc.
Business and management school are the only one that aren't free (most of the time).
They educate up to the level of master and those engineering school are the only one allowed to deliver an engineer degree (if you come from a master in university you only have the same level but a vastly inferior wage in comparison).
Basically when coming out of those school you are supposed to be part of the "Elite of the Nation": Most of our politician comes from 2 administration school, and most top manager in the industry comes from a few, top ranking, engineering school (don't even try to get to a high position in the industry coming from a mere management school). Most of those people know each other since they went to the same school and so the population see them as the "Establishment".
 
On one hand the assumption that the education in those school is better is true since they can select their students while the university cannot. On the other hand you can be as smart as those guys and go through university successfully, but still be discriminated because you didn't go through prestigious school.
 
Finally we have the PhD or "Doctorat" which can be done after a master degree or a "Grande école"
 
And then we have all the medical profession (on the right of the chart).
 
You start with one year of general education (in the medical field of course) which end with a competitive exam to choose your specialty (general and specialized medicine, odontology, or pharmacy).
Only 10% of the student manage to pass the exam on the first year and about 20 to 40% (depending of where you are taking the exam) will get it on the second try (there is no third try).
Those who fail on their second try can always go to a nurse (or other paramedical professions) school
 
After that you get into your selected specialty (assuming that you rank high enough on the exam to get a spot before it's full) and study another 5 year followed by an internship of various length and reach at least the level of a PhD if you want to be called a "Doctor"
 
Unconventional path like mine (see below) are still quite rare. Most people go through university for their whole study or through CPGE then renowned schools.
 
-Scientific bac (the one which keep biology and chemistry on top of physics) (year 0)
-DUT in applied physics and measurement process (year 2)
-Engineering school in nuclear engineering done in part time training (year 5)
-Master degree at the university in materials for nuclear applications (year 6)
-PhD on the tribo-corrosion of stainless-steel AISI 316L under irradiation (starting this year and for the next 3 year)

Good luck with your PhD!
 
 
In the UK, it mostly doesn't
 
All this is for england, the other nations have their own systems.
 
Formal schooling starts at 5 years old, and continues till you're 16. In most regions this is in two schools, one for 5-11 and one for 11-16, but some areas of england have 3 schools (5-9, 9-13, 13-16) just because they can. There are tests spread out throughout all of the education, starting at age 7, although these are just for comparing schools rather than students. The last two years are devoted to studying for your GCSE's, and as long as you passed at least 5 subjects (including english and maths) they're generally ignored in later life. At this stage you're allowed to leave school, but must remain in some kind of education until you're 18 - either at college, in an apprenticeship, or part time education.
 
College covers the ages 16-18, and is spent working towards your A-levels. This is where you start specialising, which I've heard is very different to the US system. Typically students will do just 3-4 subjects, chosen to meet the requirements for the university courses they're interested in, and most students choose a very narrow range (I did just physics, maths and further maths). This is where you'll start encountering calculus in maths, and I have no idea what it's like in non-STEM subjects. The international baccalaureate is offered by some colleges, but I avoided it because I wanted to specialise/hide from essays.
 
Apprenticeships are very varied depending on what local industry is available, and they're looked down on as a rule - I gather this is a universal western thing.
 
After A-levels, about 30% of all young people go on to university. Courses cost £9000 per year, not including accommodation, and typically take 3 years for a bachelors degree (some unis offer foundation years, for students who didn't meet the grade requirements - basically an easy way to get extra money from students). It is possible on some courses to go straight to a masters degree (commonly engineering, as you need a masters to apply to be a chartered engineer in many fields - eg iMechE) and those take 4 years; converting a bachelors to a masters (unusual, as student finance only covers your first degree - this is generally only people who are getting paid to do it) takes a year. This helps us attract international students, as they can upgrade their degree relatively quickly.
 
PhD's are what you'd expect - nominally they take 3-4 years.

As for France education is mandatory and free from age 6 to 16 but practically everybody (at least for my generation born in the 90s) start at 3 and goes at least to the Baccalauréat (referred as Bac from now on)  which you get at 18:
 

 
Secondary education is divided in two:
 
"Collège" in green and "Lycée" in red.
There is an exam between the two but nowadays it's a joke since most people get enough point simply by attending the class and not being really bad at school (and I mean really extreme case). It has the advantage to give a first experience of what an exam is at the age of 14.
 
When you start the "Lycée" at age 15 you have several choices:
 
-Géneral study (top middle), divided in three sections: Literature (L), Economics ans Sociology (ES) and Science (S)
 
Choosing science you can potentially access any kind of higher education, ES will restrict your choice a bit and L is a trash section unless you really really want to get a PhD in the field: basically zero job opportunity at the end of the line (which most 14 yo kids don't have a clue about).
All sections will get the same subject, but the hourly ratio and the level of the lesson will change greatly:
 
Subjects being:
English + a secondary language French History-Geography Physics-Chemistry Biology-Geology-Mineralogy Maths Philosophy (1 year only) Economics and Sociology Various electives for your personal interest  
-Then you have the Technologic Bac (top right). It drop all of the Biology-Geology-Mineralogy as well as economics and sociology, chemistry and philosophy. It is a bac which focus solely on engineering, teaching you stuff that the more general scientist will learn only during higher education.
 
-Finally there is the Professional Bac (top left) which is here to teach you a job. It is in general highly frowned upon and regarded as the trash of the trash by the society which is a bad thing since not everybody is good at studying and some are better off learning a job( and it will be more enjoyable for them too).
 
In the end even getting your Bac won't get you a job which require even the smallest qualifications ever (not even talking about people dropping school at 16), even for the professional Bac.
So most people go on with higher education:
 

This chart start right after you get your Bac (18 yo).
From then you have to choose between short study or long study.
Unless specified all those formations are free since they are managed by the state (you only pay the campus fee which is between 300 and  1000 € a year)
Nowadays most of those formations can be done in part-time training, and if not they at least include mandatory internship of various duration.
 
For the short study:
 
-BTS (2 yr) which is what you do after a professional bac and want to work ASAP (Baker, Qualified industrial worker, salesman/woman, etc)
-DUT (2 yr) which is what you do when you come from the general bac (either ES or S) and want to work as technician in a lab, an informatician, etc : Basically a salaryman
-Licence pro (3yr) can be done after a DUT (sometimes a BTS but most of them will fail) for those who want's to be salaryman+ (small bump in your wages)
 
You can on with long study after a DUT or a licence pro if you want and have the level.
 
For the long study:
 
University, nothing particular Licence then Master degree.
A particularity that makes for strong controversy is that in France access to higher education is considered to be a basic right if you managed to get your Bac (no matter which section).
Which mean that a literary person can go into a science major and vice-versa, someone coming from a professional formation can go to science major etc, and the university cannot refuse it.
Obviously most people doing that fail which lead to a failure rate of 46% for the first year in university, and that's a problem (plus the cost of the formation assumed by the state is just wasted on those person).
 
CPGE which are 2 yr of prep school in order to pass a competitive exam for "Les grand écoles" (Great school literally). The higher your ranking the better your chance to access a renowned school.
Some of those school have their own prep shcool and recruit people directly after their bac if they are promising.
 
Now those "Grande écoles" are made up of famous engineering school, business or management school, architecture, high level administration, veterinary, etc.
Business and management school are the only one that aren't free (most of the time).
They educate up to the level of master and those engineering school are the only one allowed to deliver an engineer degree (if you come from a master in university you only have the same level but a vastly inferior wage in comparison).
Basically when coming out of those school you are supposed to be part of the "Elite of the Nation": Most of our politician comes from 2 administration school, and most top manager in the industry comes from a few, top ranking, engineering school (don't even try to get to a high position in the industry coming from a mere management school). Most of those people know each other since they went to the same school and so the population see them as the "Establishment".
 
On one hand the assumption that the education in those school is better is true since they can select their students while the university cannot. On the other hand you can be as smart as those guys and go through university successfully, but still be discriminated because you didn't go through prestigious school.
 
Finally we have the PhD or "Doctorat" which can be done after a master degree or a "Grande école"
 
And then we have all the medical profession (on the right of the chart).
 
You start with one year of general education (in the medical field of course) which end with a competitive exam to choose your specialty (general and specialized medicine, odontology, or pharmacy).
Only 10% of the student manage to pass the exam on the first year and about 20 to 40% (depending of where you are taking the exam) will get it on the second try (there is no third try).
Those who fail on their second try can always go to a nurse (or other paramedical professions) school
 
After that you get into your selected specialty (assuming that you rank high enough on the exam to get a spot before it's full) and study another 5 year followed by an internship of various length and reach at least the level of a PhD if you want to be called a "Doctor"
 
Unconventional path like mine (see below) are still quite rare. Most people go through university for their whole study or through CPGE then renowned schools.
 
-Scientific bac (the one which keep biology and chemistry on top of physics) (year 0)
-DUT in applied physics and measurement process (year 2)
-Engineering school in nuclear engineering done in part time training (year 5)
-Master degree at the university in materials for nuclear applications (year 6)
-PhD on the tribo-corrosion of stainless-steel AISI 316L under irradiation (starting this year and for the next 3 year)

Guess the different anime game
(good old randomness)
 
 
 

That's the FAMAS FELIN (Stands for Infantry man with integrated equipement and datalink).
A kit for soldier to share intel in real time, some vehicles are equiped with it
http://www.armyrecognition.com/france_french_army_military_equipment_uk/felin_sagem_future_soldier_infantry_equipment_soldier_gear_technical_data_sheet_specifications_uk.html
 

 
The HK416F has started to replace the FAMAS in our army and will also be equipped with the FELIN system.
The FAMAS should dissapear from infantry regiment by 2021 and completely phased out by 2028
 
The FELIN system also equip the 5,56 minimi LMG and the FR F2 7,62 mm DMR
 

 

 

Yep but in this case, the system seem to also be connected, just without the sight (for the least), we can see the cable making the link between the weapon and the soldier gear on the picture loooser posted.
As long as you have the computer and the weapon (there are command buttons on the forward grip), you have the base of the system, then the rest is just add on module depending on how much weight you want to carry and the needs for the mission.
 

 
Not much use having that huge night sight, if you have googles or if it's a day mission.

That's the FAMAS FELIN (Stands for Infantry man with integrated equipement and datalink).
A kit for soldier to share intel in real time, some vehicles are equiped with it
http://www.armyrecognition.com/france_french_army_military_equipment_uk/felin_sagem_future_soldier_infantry_equipment_soldier_gear_technical_data_sheet_specifications_uk.html
 

 
The HK416F has started to replace the FAMAS in our army and will also be equipped with the FELIN system.
The FAMAS should dissapear from infantry regiment by 2021 and completely phased out by 2028
 
The FELIN system also equip the 5,56 minimi LMG and the FR F2 7,62 mm DMR
 

 

 

Hello there,
 
Quickly browsed through the 31 pages of this topic and didn't saw much infos regarding the use of the Leclerc by the UAE.
So I'll repost a little translation I made for the AW forum a while ago, I don't think I saw it mentioned here:
 
Original thread: https://aw.my.com/en/forum/showthread.php?95058-Leclerc-lesson-learned-from-the-Yemen-conflict
 
Copy pasta from AW:
 
Hello, just happened to find a recent report by the security department of the IFRI (French Insititute for International Relations), which should be a rather reliable source.
I tried to translate it as good as possible. The report itself is quite interesting since it is quite objective and not overly eulogic.
Here is the original source:
 
http://ultimaratio-blog.org/archives/8148
 
And here is my translation (I tried to keep the web links in the original text):
 
By the adjudant (OR-8 NATO) Guillaume Paris, Specialist instructor at L’école de cavalerie (Saumur)
 
Ongoing since 2015, the civil war in Yemen haven’t been covered a lot by national (France) media.
However the combats have seen a large deployment of armored vehicles. In order to support the local government, a powerful coalition lead by the Saoudian took part in this conflict. Backed up by France, the USA and the UK, the coalition line up occidental vehicle and, most importantly use doctrine issued from the occidental “way” of urban combat.
 
Those doctrines seems to have been poorly applied by the coalition with weapon systems that were not always adapted.
The engagement of the coalition in urban area didn’t had the proper preparation for armored raid and, once under fire, the units panicked and retreated in poor order. The battles of Ma’rib or Aden are the perfect examples.
The rebels don’t seek to capture the abandoned vehicles.
They use them as propaganda tools then destroy them.
This in order not to increase their logistic footprint but also to make sure that those vehicles do not return to the coalition.
Those loss explain probably the recent contracts for ground armament between the USA and the Saoudian for about 1,15 billion dollars.
 
For the operation « Return hope » of the Arabic coalition in Yemen against the Houthis rebels, the UAE deployed between 70 and 80 Leclerc tanks since spring 2015.
This represent the first engagement in combat of the French MBT by a foreign army.
This operation deserve to learn lessons from it, be it at the operational and logistical preparation or at the tactical use of those tanks in operation and their resilience to enemy fire.
This example shall also remember us not to be blinded by our technological and doctrinal superiority against a determined foe.
 
An adequate operational preparation
 
The operational preparation of deployed unit was well anticipated.
The units intended to go to Yemen were able to train regularly on simulator or in live training before being sent to combat.
The crew could familiarize themselves with the AZUR kits, even if all tank were not equipped with it. Numerous shooting campaign also allowed them to perfect their skills and master the use of HE shells OE F1, recently obtained.
At the tactical level, the units participated to training at the Hamra and Thouban camps to acquire the basics of urban, desert and even mountain combats, this to fit the reality of the Yemenite terrain.
 
Various tactical use
 
The Leclercs units have been employed to fulfill various missions in various context.
The tanks have been distributed between two mechanized battalions inside of an armored brigade which included a mechanized battalion of BMP-3 and a battery of artillery equipped with G6.
Engaged first together for the battle of Al anab, the two armored battalions were separated for the rest of the operations, one staying in Aden and the other one going forward in the interior of the country.
Those units were first employed in urban or peri-urban area, in offensive action as soon as the beginning of the battle of Aden (March-July 2015) then on the seizing of the air base of Al-Anad. Shortly after conquering this base, the first armored battalion found itself in a defensive position and lead counter-attacks in urban and mountain area, most likely in the form of armored raids, to drive away the enemy troops that posed a threat to the base from the nearby height.
After that, the Emirati forces used the Leclerc of the second armored battalion in offensive actions in mountain area around Ma’rib or in urban area in Sabr but with mitigated results.
The tanks were also used in secondary roles like for example fire support for the infantry or in static position for the protection of command post.
 
The logistical support during the operation
 
The deployment of Leclerc MBT in Yemen beneficed of a remarkable logistic support.
The supply chain on spare parts or in equipment have been assured by air or see (the port of Aden served as a resupply port after taking Al anab) then by ground to the troops on the front line.
The Emirati logistical units opened ways of repair and resupply all the way down to the lowest echelon, which is obviously capital for the operational availability of the machines and their tactical capacity. For 3 months of combats, a battalion of tank could consume in average 200 shells of 120mm of three different kind.

The evacuation of wounded, sometimes numerous like during the combats of Ma’rib, was not neglected and participated at the good shape of the troops. Here too, aerial and ground  ways of medical support were created to evacuate the wounded as fast as possible.
 
The Leclerc in combat
 
The Leclerc were exposed to difficult combat conditions and to an accurate enemy fire.
The machine suffered from the sand and the rocks of their zone of operation.
The dust raised by the machine, but most importantly the sand reduced the performance of the armements.
HMG of 12,7mm and 7,62mm suffered frequent missfire due to unexpected jamming.
The nature of the terrain also caused a recrudescence of failure of electro-fans supposed to keep the dust away from the engine due to an accumulation of sand and dust around the rear portion of the tank during it’s movements.
Finnaly the pads on the tracks suffered a rapid degradation due to the rocky terrain of the Yemen height, forcing some vehicles to roll directly on the track which also lead to a prematury wear and the degradation of some elements of the rolling train like barbotins.
 
The enemy fire was applied on Leclerc pragmatically.
Optics of the commander and gunner have been systematically the target of collective weapons or precision rifles.
The roof armament has also been targeted in order to make it unusable (Cable of ignition cut or perforation of the weapon itself).
Some tanks suffered fire from heavy collective weapons on the rear section in order to destroy the engine but without success.
The Leclerc have also been the victims of anti-tank mines and IED which put a hard stress on the rollers of three tanks.
All damaged tanks were repaired with success.

However one Leclerc had been definitively neutralized by a direct fire of an ATGM.
The hollow charge went through the frontal section of the tank on the section of the driver compartment killing him and wounding the commander on the legs.
The type of missile isn’t know but looking at the photography and following the video posted by the rebels on combats around Ma’rib we can reasonably think that it wasn’t a Kornet but rather an AT5 or AT5N Konkurs/Konkurs M.
The tank could have been repaired because not technical element necessary to the weapon system was damaged.
It also remind us that no tank is indestructible.

The Saoudians lost at least 9 M1A2 to anti-tank fire
Studying the use of an aditionnal protection comparable to the LEDS system or reactive armor like the Russian system Relikt could be used to mitigate the lack of protection on some parts of the tank.
Finally the Houthis rebels used an intense electronical warfare against the communication system. Radio of French origin in the tanks were affected by jamming, intrusion or interception.
 
Conclusion
 
The Leclerc had a more than satisfying availability thanks to a good Emirati logistical chain.
The vehicles handled the enemy fire well and no loss was definitive.

But the only tank hit, frontally, by an anti-tank weapon was perforated and neutralized.
Thus the results of the Leclerc in Yemen is paradoxical, they fully satisfied the Emirati army on the operational level but in the same time showed defects in the protection of the crew.
Following the combats on this theater of operation will allow us to better know the capacity of the Leclerc when engaged.
 
On all the current zone of conflict, the urban area cannot be avoided.
Armored vehicles showed themselves a critical asset in inter arms combat, the only one capable to size the victory in this kind of environment.
But those AFV will have to evolve to better face the threats of urban areas.
This is what was done with the valorization program of the Leclerc which should remedy to a good part of the identified weakness.
 
Following the Yemen experiences we can gather some direction of amelioration for our tanks:
 
For the structural armor (hull), the use of nano-cristallized material would be a good idea, like it is on the Japanese Type 10. Since this technology is prohibitively expensive, it would better to integrate them in the new armor package on the Leclerc.
 
As for soft kill protection, the Kit Balistique de Contre Mesure was relevant for the Leclerc.
It blended both Laser alert warning and wide spectrum jammer.

The optical detector (DOP) JD3 present on the Chinese ZTZ 99 is an interesting idea, even more since we know that this is a French technology which was originally used in the sniper alley in Sarajevo.
As a reminder, this system detect enemy laser in various directions and send them back a more powerfull pulse “frying” the laser receptor.
As for hard kill, the delay accumulated by our army is important. On shelve purchase could be a good idea, like the US army with the Israeli Iron fist. Germany developed the AMAP-ADS (Known as Shark in France) which should enter service in Singapore.
 
 

Hello there,
 
Quickly browsed through the 31 pages of this topic and didn't saw much infos regarding the use of the Leclerc by the UAE.
So I'll repost a little translation I made for the AW forum a while ago, I don't think I saw it mentioned here:
 
Original thread: https://aw.my.com/en/forum/showthread.php?95058-Leclerc-lesson-learned-from-the-Yemen-conflict
 
Copy pasta from AW:
 
Hello, just happened to find a recent report by the security department of the IFRI (French Insititute for International Relations), which should be a rather reliable source.
I tried to translate it as good as possible. The report itself is quite interesting since it is quite objective and not overly eulogic.
Here is the original source:
 
http://ultimaratio-blog.org/archives/8148
 
And here is my translation (I tried to keep the web links in the original text):
 
By the adjudant (OR-8 NATO) Guillaume Paris, Specialist instructor at L’école de cavalerie (Saumur)
 
Ongoing since 2015, the civil war in Yemen haven’t been covered a lot by national (France) media.
However the combats have seen a large deployment of armored vehicles. In order to support the local government, a powerful coalition lead by the Saoudian took part in this conflict. Backed up by France, the USA and the UK, the coalition line up occidental vehicle and, most importantly use doctrine issued from the occidental “way” of urban combat.
 
Those doctrines seems to have been poorly applied by the coalition with weapon systems that were not always adapted.
The engagement of the coalition in urban area didn’t had the proper preparation for armored raid and, once under fire, the units panicked and retreated in poor order. The battles of Ma’rib or Aden are the perfect examples.
The rebels don’t seek to capture the abandoned vehicles.
They use them as propaganda tools then destroy them.
This in order not to increase their logistic footprint but also to make sure that those vehicles do not return to the coalition.
Those loss explain probably the recent contracts for ground armament between the USA and the Saoudian for about 1,15 billion dollars.
 
For the operation « Return hope » of the Arabic coalition in Yemen against the Houthis rebels, the UAE deployed between 70 and 80 Leclerc tanks since spring 2015.
This represent the first engagement in combat of the French MBT by a foreign army.
This operation deserve to learn lessons from it, be it at the operational and logistical preparation or at the tactical use of those tanks in operation and their resilience to enemy fire.
This example shall also remember us not to be blinded by our technological and doctrinal superiority against a determined foe.
 
An adequate operational preparation
 
The operational preparation of deployed unit was well anticipated.
The units intended to go to Yemen were able to train regularly on simulator or in live training before being sent to combat.
The crew could familiarize themselves with the AZUR kits, even if all tank were not equipped with it. Numerous shooting campaign also allowed them to perfect their skills and master the use of HE shells OE F1, recently obtained.
At the tactical level, the units participated to training at the Hamra and Thouban camps to acquire the basics of urban, desert and even mountain combats, this to fit the reality of the Yemenite terrain.
 
Various tactical use
 
The Leclercs units have been employed to fulfill various missions in various context.
The tanks have been distributed between two mechanized battalions inside of an armored brigade which included a mechanized battalion of BMP-3 and a battery of artillery equipped with G6.
Engaged first together for the battle of Al anab, the two armored battalions were separated for the rest of the operations, one staying in Aden and the other one going forward in the interior of the country.
Those units were first employed in urban or peri-urban area, in offensive action as soon as the beginning of the battle of Aden (March-July 2015) then on the seizing of the air base of Al-Anad. Shortly after conquering this base, the first armored battalion found itself in a defensive position and lead counter-attacks in urban and mountain area, most likely in the form of armored raids, to drive away the enemy troops that posed a threat to the base from the nearby height.
After that, the Emirati forces used the Leclerc of the second armored battalion in offensive actions in mountain area around Ma’rib or in urban area in Sabr but with mitigated results.
The tanks were also used in secondary roles like for example fire support for the infantry or in static position for the protection of command post.
 
The logistical support during the operation
 
The deployment of Leclerc MBT in Yemen beneficed of a remarkable logistic support.
The supply chain on spare parts or in equipment have been assured by air or see (the port of Aden served as a resupply port after taking Al anab) then by ground to the troops on the front line.
The Emirati logistical units opened ways of repair and resupply all the way down to the lowest echelon, which is obviously capital for the operational availability of the machines and their tactical capacity. For 3 months of combats, a battalion of tank could consume in average 200 shells of 120mm of three different kind.

The evacuation of wounded, sometimes numerous like during the combats of Ma’rib, was not neglected and participated at the good shape of the troops. Here too, aerial and ground  ways of medical support were created to evacuate the wounded as fast as possible.
 
The Leclerc in combat
 
The Leclerc were exposed to difficult combat conditions and to an accurate enemy fire.
The machine suffered from the sand and the rocks of their zone of operation.
The dust raised by the machine, but most importantly the sand reduced the performance of the armements.
HMG of 12,7mm and 7,62mm suffered frequent missfire due to unexpected jamming.
The nature of the terrain also caused a recrudescence of failure of electro-fans supposed to keep the dust away from the engine due to an accumulation of sand and dust around the rear portion of the tank during it’s movements.
Finnaly the pads on the tracks suffered a rapid degradation due to the rocky terrain of the Yemen height, forcing some vehicles to roll directly on the track which also lead to a prematury wear and the degradation of some elements of the rolling train like barbotins.
 
The enemy fire was applied on Leclerc pragmatically.
Optics of the commander and gunner have been systematically the target of collective weapons or precision rifles.
The roof armament has also been targeted in order to make it unusable (Cable of ignition cut or perforation of the weapon itself).
Some tanks suffered fire from heavy collective weapons on the rear section in order to destroy the engine but without success.
The Leclerc have also been the victims of anti-tank mines and IED which put a hard stress on the rollers of three tanks.
All damaged tanks were repaired with success.

However one Leclerc had been definitively neutralized by a direct fire of an ATGM.
The hollow charge went through the frontal section of the tank on the section of the driver compartment killing him and wounding the commander on the legs.
The type of missile isn’t know but looking at the photography and following the video posted by the rebels on combats around Ma’rib we can reasonably think that it wasn’t a Kornet but rather an AT5 or AT5N Konkurs/Konkurs M.
The tank could have been repaired because not technical element necessary to the weapon system was damaged.
It also remind us that no tank is indestructible.

The Saoudians lost at least 9 M1A2 to anti-tank fire
Studying the use of an aditionnal protection comparable to the LEDS system or reactive armor like the Russian system Relikt could be used to mitigate the lack of protection on some parts of the tank.
Finally the Houthis rebels used an intense electronical warfare against the communication system. Radio of French origin in the tanks were affected by jamming, intrusion or interception.
 
Conclusion
 
The Leclerc had a more than satisfying availability thanks to a good Emirati logistical chain.
The vehicles handled the enemy fire well and no loss was definitive.

But the only tank hit, frontally, by an anti-tank weapon was perforated and neutralized.
Thus the results of the Leclerc in Yemen is paradoxical, they fully satisfied the Emirati army on the operational level but in the same time showed defects in the protection of the crew.
Following the combats on this theater of operation will allow us to better know the capacity of the Leclerc when engaged.
 
On all the current zone of conflict, the urban area cannot be avoided.
Armored vehicles showed themselves a critical asset in inter arms combat, the only one capable to size the victory in this kind of environment.
But those AFV will have to evolve to better face the threats of urban areas.
This is what was done with the valorization program of the Leclerc which should remedy to a good part of the identified weakness.
 
Following the Yemen experiences we can gather some direction of amelioration for our tanks:
 
For the structural armor (hull), the use of nano-cristallized material would be a good idea, like it is on the Japanese Type 10. Since this technology is prohibitively expensive, it would better to integrate them in the new armor package on the Leclerc.
 
As for soft kill protection, the Kit Balistique de Contre Mesure was relevant for the Leclerc.
It blended both Laser alert warning and wide spectrum jammer.

The optical detector (DOP) JD3 present on the Chinese ZTZ 99 is an interesting idea, even more since we know that this is a French technology which was originally used in the sniper alley in Sarajevo.
As a reminder, this system detect enemy laser in various directions and send them back a more powerfull pulse “frying” the laser receptor.
As for hard kill, the delay accumulated by our army is important. On shelve purchase could be a good idea, like the US army with the Israeli Iron fist. Germany developed the AMAP-ADS (Known as Shark in France) which should enter service in Singapore.