Posted on 09/12/2006 5:44:33 PM PDT by IrishMike
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Thirteen French tanks, the most powerful armor ever deployed by a U.N. peacekeeping force, rolled ashore Tuesday, beefing up a mission aimed at helping cement an uneasy cease-fire in Lebanon.
But some European officials are concerned international peacekeepers will be at best ineffective and at worst humiliated if hostilities flare between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops.
Scores of blue-helmeted French troops transferred the Leclerc tanks, AUF-1 artillery cannons, two high-tech Cobra radar trucks, and dozens of armored vehicles and transport trucks from a cargo ship in Beirut's port. The port reopened Friday after a nearly two-month Israeli blockade.
The French deployment is part of efforts to give teeth to the U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL, which has been largely ineffective since it was created for south Lebanon in 1978.
The force is set to grow from 2,000 troops to 15,000 under a U.N. Security Council mandate and will work with 15,000 Lebanese soldiers in keeping the peace.
Thirteen Leclerc tanks, which have never been deployed outside Europe, are the showpiece of the French deployment. Heavy armor such as the Leclerc, with its reinforced Kevlar body, is not typically part of a U.N. force though battle tanks have been used in some past missions.
The tanks, which weigh nearly 60 tons each, feature 120 mm smoothbore cannon, anti-tank and armor-piercing rounds, and anti-aircraft machine guns. Each is operated by a crew of three, has thermal sighting, night vision and an automatic loading system for on-the-move firing. Compared to the U.S. M1 Abrams, the Leclerc is smaller and more compact.
French Lt. Col. Patrick Le Roy, who leads the Leclerc unit, said the tank is more robust and technologically advanced than the Israeli Merkava a similar-sized tank that was at times taken out by Hezbollah missiles in the fighting that began July 12.
girliemanarmy.
The Hezzies figured how to take out Merkavas.... I don't think French armor is going to intimidate them.
Do the Frenchie tanks have a forward gear?
What are they going to do back into battle, their tanks only have reverse gear option installed!?
metrosexualtankism.
Despite their tanks' being "more technologically advanced" than Israeli tanks, I don't think the worst that can happen to them is humiliation. Although if they are blown to smithereens, it probably will humiliate the French army...
How many white flags can each tank carry?
Their modern ones send the white flags electronically ahead of the battlefield.
They may be meant to carry anti-tank rounds, but they really carry rounds filled with tiny little white flags.
That 'soldier' looks almost ready to cry, was it the camera flash ????
And completely trash French arms sales.
That said, it will be interesting to see how the LeClercs hold up. As far as I know, this is their first deployment with a realistic chance of combat.
These tanks have many extra options including a stereo FM radio and an electic retractable white flag.
First item at the daily briefing to the "men": "Be brave, be loyal, be true...but keep your white flags handy just in case."
Better than one of the tanks the French had in early WWII which had double the armor on the rear.
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