IN PICTURES – Leclerc tanks will be sent in the coming days to the Cincu military base in Romania to reinforce a NATO mission under French command, launched in February after the Russian strikes in Ukraine.
The first two convoys of armored infantry fighting vehicles (VBCI) left on Tuesday morning from the Mourmelon-le-Grand military camp (Marne, eastern France) towards Romania, as part of Operation Aigle, which aims to strengthen the defense of NATO’s eastern flank over time. Leclerc tanks are also due to join the Cincu military base in the center of the country in the coming days to reinforce this mission under French command, launched on February 28, 2022 in response to Russian strikes in Ukraine.
Biggest operation since the 90s
“France honors its commitments for the benefit of NATO and our partners ,” said Major General François Goguenheim, head of the Europe-Continental Land command post in Lille. “There has not been a logistics operation of this importance in Europe since (Operation) Daguet”, the name given to the French participation in the international coalition formed after the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq at the beginning of the 90s, he added. About ten convoys must gradually leave Mourmelon for Romania, transporting more than 2000 kilometers across Europe about ten Leclerc tanks, as well as about twenty armored vehicles.
Their exact number, as well as the precise route, were not specified by the military authorities. Because of their width and their weight – a Leclerc tank and its armored carrier weigh around 100 tons – these exceptional convoys will take seven to eight days to reach Cincu. The steep roads of the Carpathians await them in Romania. At the same time, special trains carrying ammunition, food and maintenance equipment will also reach Romania. Complex logistics ensured by the 516th train regiment of Toul (Meurthe-et-Moselle). On site, the army will supervise the Combined Arms Tactical Group (GTIA), armed by the 7th Armored Brigade based in Besançon, which should have 1,000 soldiers by the first quarter of 2023.
Those 100t beasts are super fast, but have not-so-good brakes.
Some might go well beyond their designated destination.
^(Just in case, I am joking :-))
EDIT for fun. Inside one of these tanks:
Commander: Brake, Brake François! We arrived!
Pilot: Sir, yes, Sir…. Ho La La, I’ve mistaken left turn pedal with brakes!
Commander: Brake, brake you stupid dry baguette!
Pilot: It’s all right, we just arrived in the training Zone. I see a lot of rusty half-baked targets for training.
Commander: Let me check (uses binoculars)…. Mmh Ok I confirm, there is a big Z on Ze targets. This is Ze training tag. FIRE!
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IN PICTURES – Leclerc tanks will be sent in the coming days to the Cincu military base in Romania to reinforce a NATO mission under French command, launched in February after the Russian strikes in Ukraine.
The first two convoys of armored infantry fighting vehicles (VBCI) left on Tuesday morning from the Mourmelon-le-Grand military camp (Marne, eastern France) towards Romania, as part of Operation Aigle, which aims to strengthen the defense of NATO’s eastern flank over time. Leclerc tanks are also due to join the Cincu military base in the center of the country in the coming days to reinforce this mission under French command, launched on February 28, 2022 in response to Russian strikes in Ukraine.
Biggest operation since the 90s
“France honors its commitments for the benefit of NATO and our partners ,” said Major General François Goguenheim, head of the Europe-Continental Land command post in Lille. “There has not been a logistics operation of this importance in Europe since (Operation) Daguet”, the name given to the French participation in the international coalition formed after the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq at the beginning of the 90s, he added. About ten convoys must gradually leave Mourmelon for Romania, transporting more than 2000 kilometers across Europe about ten Leclerc tanks, as well as about twenty armored vehicles.
Their exact number, as well as the precise route, were not specified by the military authorities. Because of their width and their weight – a Leclerc tank and its armored carrier weigh around 100 tons – these exceptional convoys will take seven to eight days to reach Cincu. The steep roads of the Carpathians await them in Romania. At the same time, special trains carrying ammunition, food and maintenance equipment will also reach Romania. Complex logistics ensured by the 516th train regiment of Toul (Meurthe-et-Moselle). On site, the army will supervise the Combined Arms Tactical Group (GTIA), armed by the 7th Armored Brigade based in Besançon, which should have 1,000 soldiers by the first quarter of 2023.
Those 100t beasts are super fast, but have not-so-good brakes.
Some might go well beyond their designated destination.
^(Just in case, I am joking :-))
EDIT for fun. Inside one of these tanks:
Commander: Brake, Brake François! We arrived!
Pilot: Sir, yes, Sir…. Ho La La, I’ve mistaken left turn pedal with brakes!
Commander: Brake, brake you stupid dry baguette!
Pilot: It’s all right, we just arrived in the training Zone. I see a lot of rusty half-baked targets for training.
Commander: Let me check (uses binoculars)…. Mmh Ok I confirm, there is a big Z on Ze targets. This is Ze training tag. FIRE!
Merci, France!