Leclerc Ares Prototype

The efforts to replace the AMX-30 line of tanks can be traced to a joint development project between France and West Germany that began in 1978. Although the project was cancelled in 1982, the manufacturer GIAT resurrected it the following year and renamed the tank Leclerc, after the renowned French World War II leader, in 1986. The Ares was a prototype tank produced as part of the Leclerc T1 series of testing vehicles in 1990. Other named T1 tanks included Bayard, Carnot, Duroc, and Estienne.