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Article: Defence: Leclerc in the frame for Saudis.(military tank)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- MEED Middle East Economic Digest
- Article date:
- July 7, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 MEED Middle East Economic Digest. All Rights Reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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French officials have discussed the possibility of jointly manufacturing the Leclerc tank in the kingdom. The subject was raised during talks between Defence Minister Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz and his French counterpart Alain Richard in Jeddah on 24 June. Sultan said seven Saudi military officers were working with France on ways of developing the tank, with a view to either purchasing or manufacturing it.
Riyadh has a long-standing requirement for around 300 new battle tanks and has considered three options: the Leclerc, the UK-made Challenger II and the Abrams M1-A2s or M60s. However, defence analysts say France is now best placed to secure the orders. "The ...