France orders SHARD APFSDS, enhancing its armoured firepower

France has placed an order for the SHARD APFSDS tank round in a bid to improve the anti-tank lethality of its Leclerc fleet. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of Calibre Defence, published February 19, 2026.

KNDS France has received an order for thousands of SHARD armour-piercing fin stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) rounds from the French Army. “With SHARD, KNDS Ammo France provides the French cavalry with a decisive operational advantage,” the February 18 press release states.

SHARD stands for Solution for Hardened Armour Defeat, and the round will equip France’s Arme blindée et cavalerie. The armoured cavalry are understood to include four regiments equipped with the Leclerc, and others with the various vehicles being introduced under the SCORPION programme. 

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KNDS notes that the SHARD offers increased penetration over earlier designs, as well as reduced barrel wear. The earlier generations were introduced in the 1980s, and material science has come a long way since then. Revisions are understood to include the penetrator material as well as the sabot. Reducing sabot weight means the round can be fired at a higher speed, increasing its muzzle energy.

The delivery timeframe for France is unclear. Additionally, the press release places some emphasis on the SHARD’s compatibility with Leopard 2 and the M1 Abrams. This suggests that KNDS is looking to export orders beyond Jordan and the UAE, the other Leclerc users.

SHARD programme milestones

The SHARD has been developed quite quickly and pre-dates the Ukraine war. First reporting emerged in 2021, but the company has since indicated that it first started work in 2018. With the round now qualified and being procured, it will be competing with the DM73 from Rheinmetall, which benefits from the high pressure version of the L55A1 tank gun. There is also the KE2020Neo which is being co-developed by the UK and Germany, as countries try to squeeze more out of their 120 mm guns.

• March 2021 — Nexter publicly announces the SHARD programme. TRL 6 was reached in late 2020. Extreme temperature and long-range firing trials confirm simulated performance. Architectural optimisations to be completed during 2021, with industrial qualification to follow in 2022. 
• May 2021 — EDR Magazine publishes an interview with Laurent Chauveau, Nexter’s R&D Director, confirming TRL 6 achieved in late 2020, TRL 7 targeted by end of 2021. The interview also introduces the 20% penetration improvement figure versus the older F1 and F1B+ rounds specifically.
• September 2021 — SHARD displayed at DSEI in London alongside Nexter’s 140mm munitions concepts for MGCS. Forces Opérations Blog confirms qualification targeted for the end of 2022. 
• June 2022 — SHARD displayed at Eurosatory 2022 in Paris. Nexter confirmed firing campaigns on 52-calibre weapons (Leclerc) and 44-calibre weapons (Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams) completed successfully.
• Late 2023 — Full qualification achieved. Demonstration for Leclerc and Leopard 2 users held at Alcochete, Portugal. Firing tests on semi-infinite RHA targets confirm 15% penetration improvement. 
• 24 December 2025 — DGA notifies KNDS Ammo France of a framework order for several thousand SHARD rounds under a seven-year agreement valued at more than €100 million. Production shared with Eurenco for energetic materials. 

Calibre comment: The need for a bigger tank calibre is unclear

There are several future tank concepts with the M1E3 being one of the most recent. They vary in their approach to gun calibre, with KNDS proposing the monstrous ASCALON available in 120 mm and 140 mm calibres. Rheinmetall is developing the Rh130, a 130 mm design that offers a more modest increase in lethality. The US meanwhile, is pursuing a lighter version of the 120 mm M256 that arms the Abrams. 

Why the differences? Surely, if the enemy is more dangerous, we need a bigger gun? Well, the answer to this is complex and varied. Valid arguments can be made on both sides. From a European perspective, a 140 mm gun is quite appealing. There are vast areas of open fields where a tank with a 140 mm gun could happily hold Russian armour at risk from three or four kilometres away. But as lethal as that tank would be, it would only carry 10 or 15 rounds, which would be spent quite quickly. 

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Another view is that tanks spend most of their time supporting infantry. And in this scenario a 120 mm gun is plenty. Advances like the SHARD APFSDS and the L55A1 mean that lethality can be increased to the point where a Russian T-90 could be knocked out. And the combat power – represented by the amount of rounds carried – can be maintained to a point where the tank is more useful. With an ever greater focus on drones and loitering munitions, it also seems likely that the latter argument will gain ground from a capability perspective. There are, however, the industrial considerations. Domestic pressure to produce new tank guns could outweigh the military value of introducing them.

The lead image shows Leclercs during the Strong Europe Tank Challenge in 2018. Credit: 7th Army Training Command from Grafenwoehr, Germany – Strong Europe Tank Challenge 2018, CC BY 2.0.