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| CN120-26 | |
|---|---|
 close-up view of the CN120-26 muzzle | |
| Type | smoothboretank gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1992-present |
| Used by | French Army,United Arab Emirates Army, and theRoyal Jordanian Army |
| Wars | Yemeni Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | EFAB of Bourges |
| Designed | 1980s |
| Manufacturer | Giat Industries |
| Produced | 1990-2007 |
| No. built | 800+ |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2740 kg |
| Length | 6.931 m (22 ft 8.9 in) |
| Barrel length | 6.24 m (20 ft 6 in) or 52 calibers |
| Shell | 120×570mm NATO |
| Calibre | 120 mm (4.72 in) |
| Action | automatic vertical sliding-wedge breech |
| Breech | vertical sliding-wedge |
| Recoil | 400 mm |
| Elevation | -8° to +17° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | up to 12 rounds per minute[1] |
| Muzzle velocity | 1790 m/s (APFSDS) |
| Feed system | autoloader |
| Sights | HL 60 or HL 130 |
TheCN120-26, also simply referred to asModèle F1 (F1 model) is a Frenchsmoothbore 120mmtank gun of 52 calibers designed by the EFAB ofBourges and produced byGiat Industries .
The 120 mm smoothbore gun F1 has been designed for installation in theLeclercmain battle tank.The smooth-bore gun is chrome-plated, fitted with athermal sleeve and has a vertical sliding breech mechanism. It is also fitted with amuzzle reference system (MRS) and the tropicalized variant of the Leclerc is fitted with a compressed air system for removing propellantfumes.[2]
In the Leclerc application, the gun is fed by a 22-rounds bustle-mounted automatic loader designed byCreusot-Loire Industries.The 120 mm F1 gun fires the same120×570mm ammunition as the GermanRh-120 and American M256 smoothbore guns.The French 120 mm F1 gun is, however, 1 m longer than the L/44 version of the Rh-120, which increases muzzle velocity and armour penetration ofAPFSDS projectiles; it also gives a longer effective range.[3]
