The procurement of Rafale to India has indeed become the procurement of expensive defense equipment in its class. Not only expensive, but the Indian Rafale procurement is also full of advanced technology.
Starting from internal technology such as radar to EW systems, India's Rafale fighter jets also have it. As a result, the sale of the Rafale to India means that cooperation in other fields is still ongoing. From the cooperation, the intention was to sell the Rafale aircraft carrier variant to India from France.
To the extent that there is cooperation in fields other than Rafale which is currently being discussed. It is known that cooperation in fields other than Rafale is cooperation in the Army regarding the procurement of MBT between France and India.
According to the armyrecognition.com article, France's Nexter proposed the Leclerc MBT as a replacement for the T-72. And it turns out that the proposed Leclerc MBT as a replacement for India's T-72 is a variant of the XLR.
The French Leclerc XLR MBT itself will be launched in 2028 as a renewal program. Because this French Leclerc XLR MBT already has various updated versions of armor enhancements.
Not only from the Armot but this French MBT Leclerc XLR, there are several features of the firing system and other advanced features. So don't be surprised if at this time France certainly cooperates with countries like India to be able to enjoy the sophistication of the Leclerc XLR MBT.
Citing opex360.com, French Deputy Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said French company Nexter could win the procurement of 1,700 Leclerc XLR MBTs for India.
And later French Industry could relaunch production of Leclerc tanks for India and France.
From this information, the Leclerc XLR MBT for the Indian army could touch the export market.
Quote from army-technology.com, the Leclerc MBT was made by Nexter Systems. In the end, in 1992, France finally operated the Leclerc MBT for the first time. With the Leclerc MBT, France is currently very lucky to have the most advanced MBT.
Moreover, if France independently has succeeded in creating the Leclerc MBT. It should be noted that the Leclerc MBT has an AZUR kit defense system which is made of composite materials.
Therefore, it can withstand various attacks from RPG threats and 105 to 120 mm caliber ammunition. For the advanced system on the Leclerc MBT, it turns out to use the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).
The MGCS on the Leclerc MBT is also integrated with the battlefield management system (BMS). Therefore, MBT Leclerc can find out what real time conditions occur in combat conditions. The main armament section of the Leclerc MBT itself is equipped with a 120mm smoothbore gun caliber.
The cannon can fire types of ammunition such as APFSD and HEAT. And the most advanced is that the MBT Leclerc can fire 12 rounds of 120 mm cannon in one minute. This happens because the Leclerc MBT has an autoloader system that is its flagship.
Therefore, we are waiting for the procurement of the Leclerc MBT which will be owned by India in the future.
