On Tuesday, 17 February 2026, KNDS France (part of the Franco-German joint venture KNDS) announced that the Direction générale de l’Armement (DGA) at the Ministry of the Armed Forces of France had awarded a contract of undisclosed value to its subsidiary KNDS Ammo France for the delivery of the first test batch of new anti-tank tank ammunition with an armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) projectile named 120 SHARD (Solution for Hardened ARmor Defeat).
Photos: KNDS France
The batch in question is to comprise several thousand rounds. First unveiled on 9 March 2021, it is intended to replace the F1B and F1B+ ammunition. It successfully completed qualification tests for the Leclerc at the end of 2023 and was subsequently presented at the Alcochète training range in Portugal to representatives of countries operating the Leclerc and the Leopard 2. Preliminary interest was reportedly expressed by undisclosed countries from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. By March 2025, it had also been certified for the Leopard 2A6.
The ammunition was developed at the request of the Direction générale de l’Armement by Nexter Munitions (now KNDS Ammo France) in Bourges, in the Cher department. Ultimately, it is to be compatible with all 120 mm NATO-standard smoothbore guns meeting STANAG 4385 requirements and ICD 120 interfaces (for 120 mm x 570 unitary ammunition), and is expected to deliver a 15% increase in armor penetration. In addition, French engineers have succeeded in reducing tank gun barrel wear by 25%.
The 984 mm-long round consists of a newly designed, digitally engineered aluminum sabot, an elongated penetrator made from a new tungsten alloy developed by Plansee Tungsten Alloys in Saint-Pierre, Alsace, a new combustible cartridge case, and a high-performance propellant charge developed by the joint venture Eurenco in Bergerac, Dordogne. Plansee Tungsten Alloys is part of the Austrian Plansee Group based in Reutte, which specializes in powder metallurgy for the production of molybdenum and tungsten materials. As a result, the new round achieves 15% greater penetration compared to current-generation ammunition.
According to the manufacturer, the muzzle velocity of the new round is 1,720 m/s when fired from the 52-caliber GIAT CN 120-26 smoothbore gun mounted on the Leclerc XLR (rénové), and 1,734 m/s when fired from the 55-caliber Rheinmetall Rh-120 smoothbore gun used on Leopard 2 tanks in the A6 standard and above. The ammunition is also intended to be compatible with the M256 guns of the M1 Abrams family and the OTO Breda 120mm L/44 guns of the C1 Ariete and Centauro II fire support vehicles. This is made possible by REACH-compliant propellant materials. The production of the new ammunition also uses components free from U.S. ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) restrictions.
Quand le combat de haute intensité redevient la norme, la précision fait la différence.
La @DGA choisit SHARD, l’obus flèche de nouvelle génération développé par KNDS.
Compatible avec les canons lisses de 120 mm OTAN.
Éprouvé sur Leclerc et Leopard 2.
Plus de précision, plus de… pic.twitter.com/9fCImhIBVx— KNDS France (@KNDS_France) February 17, 2026
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