The vehicle has been called a light tank by some military officers and defense media due to its design and appearance,[10][11] although Army officials related to the MPF program consider this incorrect.[10][12][13] The vehicle weighs about 42 tons,[4] which is equivalent to various medium and main battle tanks operated by other nations.[14] By design, it is not a tank by modern standards, and will, according to description, essentially serve the role of an assault gun.[14]
The defense industry magazine ESD (European Security & Defence) reported in January 2025 that the Pentagon had spoken out against the light tank-characterisation, stating: "The primary objection to the light tank label is found in the vehicle’s mission statement, which is to provide direct fire to neutralise obstacles typically faced by infantry, such as bunkers, gun emplacements or light armoured vehicles."[1] A spokeswoman for the Army’s Program Executive Office Ground Systems, Ashley John, stated in 2022 that the "MPF is not designed to be able to engage enemy tanks".[1] Major general Glenn Dean, Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems, separately stressed that "light tanks" historically have performed reconnaissance functions, "and this is not a reconnaissance vehicle, it’s an assault gun".[1]
A later quote by Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean states:
The M10 Booker is an armored vehicle that is intended to support our Infantry Brigade Combat Teams by suppressing and destroying fortifications, gun systems and trench routes, and then secondarily providing protection against enemy armored vehicles.
—Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer of Army Ground Combat Systems[12]
According to Lt. Col. Pete George, product manager for the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle, the vehicle is defined as an "armored infantry support vehicle".[2]
An M10 Booker firing its 105 mm M35 cannon in 2024
In December 2018, GDLS was downselected, along with BAE Systems, to develop prototypes.[22] GDLS presented its first prototype in April 2020.[23] BAE's M8 AGS proposal was disqualified in March 2022.[24] In June 2022, GDLS won the MPF program competition and was awarded a contract worth up to $1.14 billion.[25][8]
The U.S. Army took delivery of the first production vehicle in February 2024.[27] In May 2024, the U.S. Army issued a solicitation for full-rate production.[28]
Design
The M10 Booker was developed to address a critical gap in U.S. Army Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCT s) by providing a mobile, protected, direct fire capability to neutralize enemy fortified positions, heavy machine guns, and armored vehicle threats. The U.S. Army plans to field 14 M10 Bookers per IBCT, ensuring enhanced firepower and maneuverability in both offensive and defensive operations.[29]
The M10 Booker features a fully tracked chassis, a four-person crew, and is armed with an M35 105mm main gun controlled by the same fire control system as the M1A2 Abrams, along with an M240C 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and an M2 .50 caliber machine gun for the commander.[30] It incorporates modular armor, smoke grenade launchers, ammunition stowage blowout panels, and an automatic fire suppression system to enhance battlefield survivability. The Booker is also equipped with Safran Optics 1's PASEO Commander's Independent Tactical Viewer (CITV) to increase the commander's situational awareness and to improve targeting capabilities.[31] A key feature of the M10 Booker is its air transportability, with its 42-ton weight allowing two M10 Bookers to be carried in a single C-17 Globemaster III, whereas the C-17 can only carry one Abrams tank,[32] enhancing rapid deployment capabilities. The Army envisions the M10 Booker as a crucial asset for IBCT operations, particularly in forced and early entry missions where anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) conditions exist.[33][34]
Organization and allocation
The Army is set to procure up to 504 M10s, all of which will be allotted to light divisions in the active duty and National Guard. The 82nd Airborne Division will become the first unit equipped when 33 M10s enter Fort Bragg motor pools in late FY2025. The 82nd will initially field a battalion of M10s, divided into three companies. The M10s will be controlled as a divisional asset. Commanders will determine, based on mission objectives, which infantry brigade combat teams (IBCTs) will be supported by the M10-equipped battalion. The armored vehicles might be spread out evenly among the division's IBCTs, or two companies might be assigned to a single IBCT with another company held in reserve, or some other combination.[35]
As of 2023, the Army is in the midst of transition from brigades to divisions as the tactical unit of action. It will be the division commander who will have the flexibility to configure the force to take advantage of all the division’s capabilities—retaining a tactical overmatch to the adversary that can be tailored to a specific battlefield scenario.[35]
↑ Freeman, Major Marshall A. (5 April 1991). The Army Needs a Strategic Armored Gun System—Now!(PDF) (War College Individual Study Project). U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks. pp.23–24. Archived(PDF) from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
↑ "Armored Gun System Loses Weight to Be Deployed by C-130". Inside the Pentagon. Vol.9, no.31. Inside Washington Publishers. 5 August 1993. JSTOR43990667.
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