Well, that's pretty cool, then.. I hope other manufacturers will take note of this Hisham

YEAH ! I want it ! when....?

I WANT ONE!!!

I guess that's what it is Hisham[/quote] Nope. I read on the Tiger FB page, the shroud is actually molded onto the barrel. wow![/quote] You mean they insert the metal barrel into the mould and cast the molten plastic around it?

AFAIK, the co-ax weapon on the AMX-30B2 is a M693 20mm cannon, whereas the one on the Leclerc is a .50 Cal MG... H.P.

Christophe, as you may know, this version has only been fielded to two units so the choice is quite narrow.[/quote] Hey Olivier ! Would you know which units and how long the stayed in service ? Thanks Christopher

I found some images in a French book that states that the BRENUS served with 2e Chasseurs in Verdun. Images were taken at ecercise Yonne 1997. HTH

Hi Christopher, the Brennus only served with the 1/2 régiment de Chasseurs in Verdun. This was an interim solution pending the arrival of the last 80 Leclerc MBTs. It entered service in 1995 and was phased out in the mid-2000s. Can't be more precise without some homework. I'll also have to check if both "battalions" of the regiment got their Brennus. Today, a bunch of Brennus have been issued to the French OPFOR in Mailly le camp (sort of NTC) and maybe to the CENZUB OPFOR (FIBUA TC) too. So a grey-blue and black camo would be possible with some vismods. Olivier

AFAIK, the co-ax weapon on the AMX-30B2 is a M693 20mm cannon, whereas the one on the Leclerc is a .50 Cal MG... H.P. [/quote] Ummmm, are you quite certain that the 20 mm is really a coaxial gun ? A coax is "locked" to the elevation of the main gun, (coaxial = same axis) but I am fairly certain that the 20 mm can elevate idependently (-8 to +40 degrees, maybe the main gun can go down to -8 degrees but not up to +40 ..). "Borrowed" from Wikipedia: The original AMX-30: "The main gun was coupled with a 380-millimeter (15 in) recoil brake, which had a maximum extension of 400 millimeters (16 in), and could depress to -8 degrees or elevate to 20 degrees. The turret's firepower was augmented by a coaxial 12.7-millimeter (0.50 in) M2 Browning machine gun. The tank commander also made use of a 7.62-millimeter (0.300 in) anti-aircraft machine gun on the turret roof.[47] The vehicle carried 50 105-millimeter (4.1 in) projectiles,[47] 748 12.7-millimeter (0.50 in) rounds and 2,050 7.62-millimeter (0.300 in) bullets.[48]" and then it was improved a little, this is when the 20 mm was introduced, 0.5 in being to light for some targets but 105 mm shell is wasteful: "During the production run, many improvements were implemented. These included gun stabilization from 1971, and from 1972[55] replacing the original coaxial heavy machine gun with a dual purpose 20-millimeter (0.79 in) autocannon against light armour and helicopters, with the ability to depress to -8 degrees and elevate to 40 degrees.[45] All French army vehicles were eventually brought to this newer standard; the designation remained AMX 30B." and then the BRENNUS package: "In the nineties, a reactive armour package, named BRENUS or Brennus,[65] was developed for the AMX-30B2, but was issued only to two tank regiments, which in peacetime were combined into the 1er/ 2e Chasseurs, that were part of France's rapid reaction force;[59][66] the other two regiments using the AMX-30, the 2e/5e Dragons,[67] only had their tanks adapted for a possible relatively quick upgrade, in case of an emergency.[64] The BRENUS system used 112[68] GIAT BS (Brique de Surblindage) G2 explosive reactive boxes with a total weight of 1.7 metric tons (1.9 short tons), offering a protection equivalent to 400 millimeters (16 in) of steel at 60°" The 20 mm can be slaved to the main gun but can also be elevated on its own for use against helicopters and slow aircraft. / Robin