France once explored a bold initiative to modernize Ukrainian T-80 tanks by installing a 120mm smoothbore gun and autoloader from its Leclerc main battle tank, along with a new turret design. This project, developed in the 1990s in cooperation with Ukraine's Malyshev Armored Plant, sadly stalled due to financial constraints. But its technical premise could be increasingly relevant today.
According to French defense expert Marc Chassillan, who was directly involved in promoting the Leclerc for export, the initiative envisioned equipping the T-80 with the Leclerc's autoloading 120mm cannon and, eventually, replacing the original Soviet turret with a NATO-standard T21-type turret. Chassillan's insights into the project come from his book labeled DE LA GUERRE FROIDE AUX CONFLITS DE DEMAIN CHAR LECLERC, shared by a Ukrainian armored warfare enthusiast Andrii Tarasenko in the btvt_2019 blog.
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First contacts between the French defense company GIAT (manufacturer of the Leclerc MBT, now part of KNDS) and the Ukrainian Malyshev Plant date to November 1992. However, due to "multiple technical and industrial limitations," the implementation stalled.
A few years later, the partners re-established cooperation. The idea was originally based on modifying the T-80's standard turret to accommodate the Leclerc gun system. In particular, that would require a redesign of the gun mantlet and the back of the turret.
Ultimately deemed suboptimal, proposal shifted toward designing an entirely new turret, but the lack of finances made further progress impossible. Despite the promising concept, no prototype was ever built, and the program remained at a conceptual stage.
Interestingly, this concept mirrors another "westernization" effort involving the T-72, which included the same Leclerc-derived turret and was unveiled at the Eurosatory 2000 exhibition. As previously reported by Defense Express, this "T-72 with T21 turret" project, also spearheaded by France's GIAT, was intended for NATO members still operating Soviet-era tanks. While it failed to gain traction at the time, too, it highlights a broader approach: integrating Western firepower into Soviet platforms.
Today, the relevance of such upgrades is growing. According to The Military Balance 2024, Ukraine's Armed Forces still operate a number of T-80 tanks — roughly 80 units as of early 2024, though the real number may now be lower due to battlefield losses. Still, modernizing these tanks with NATO-standard systems would enhance ammunition compatibility and battlefield performance.
Moreover, France remains actively involved in defense support for Ukraine. While replacing entire turrets may still be a costly challenge, partial upgrades, such as fire control systems, sights, or autoloaders could offer a feasible middle ground.
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