As I said, this is mainly because of the policy (dating back to De Gaulle) saying that [img]/threads/images/Graemlins/MusicalNote.gif[/img]
"small though we are, we can still do better than these arrogant American imperialists and take market shares / political influence that they won't have"[img]/threads/images/Graemlins/MusicalNote.gif[/img]. As a result, French procurment programs run happily over budgets and deadlines (the French generally are no friends to these
), and though generally pretty interesting all in all, end up in service some ten years too late to make any difference. In the mid 90s the Leclerc would have been astounding (early hunter-killer, fast, agile, light, evolutive...), but by now there are many equals on the market and on the field.