M10 Booker

Not to be confused with M10 tank destroyer.

M10 Booker
M10 Booker at its unveiling in June 2023
TypeArmored infantry support vehicle[1]
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerGeneral Dynamics Land Systems
Specifications
Massroughly 38–42 tonnes (37–41 long tons; 42–46 short tons)[2][3]
Main
armament
1 × 105 mm M35 tank gun
Secondary
armament
1 × 12.7 mm M2HB heavy machine gun
1 × 7.62 mm M240B machine gun
EngineDiesel MTU 8V199 TE23[4]
15.9 L, 800 hp (600 kW)
TransmissionAllison Transmission 3040 MX cross-drive
SuspensionHydropneumatic[5]
Operational
range
250–350 mi (400–560 km)
Maximum speed 45 mph (72 km/h)

The M10 Booker is an armored infantry support vehicle[1] produced by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) for the United States Army, developed from the GDLS Griffin II armored fighting vehicle as the winner of its Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program in June 2022. The initial contract is for 96 low rate initial production (LRIP) vehicles, the first of which were delivered in February 2024.[6][7]

Classification

The vehicle has been called a light tank by some military officers and defense media due to its design and appearance,[8][9] although Army officials related to the MPF program consider this incorrect.[8][10][11] The vehicle weighs about 42 tons,[3] which is equivalent to various medium and main battle tanks operated by other nations.[12]

By design, it is not a tank by modern standards, and will, according to description, essentially serve the role of an assault gun.[12]

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[10]

According to Lt. Col. Pete George, product manager for the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle, the vehicle is defined as an armored infantry support vehicle.[1]

Background and selection

An M10 Booker on the move
A Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) Griffin II firing its 105 mm M35 cannon in 2024

Derived from the Austrian-Spanish ASCOD 2 infantry fighting vehicle-platform,[13] the GDLS Griffin II was offered under Army's MPF program. In accordance with the program's caliber requirements, it incorporated a 105 mm M35 tank gun and a redesigned chassis.[14][15][16] The M35 was originally designed and developed by Benét Laboratories, Watervliet Arsenal, in 1983 for the Marine Corps' Mobile Protected Gun Program. It was later incorporated in the Army's M8 Armored Gun System light tank, which was canceled in 1996.[17][18] The M35 is about 1,800 lb (816 kg) lighter than the M68 tank gun used on the M60 tank.[19]

In December 2018, GDLS was downselected, along with BAE Systems, to develop prototypes.[20] GDLS presented its first prototype in April 2020.[21] BAE's M8 AGS proposal was disqualified in March 2022.[22] In June 2022, GDLS won the MPF program competition and was awarded a contract worth up to $1.14 billion.[23][6]

Name

The MPF was officially designated "M10 Booker" in June 2023, named for American soldiers Private Robert D. Booker and Staff Sergeant Stevon Booker. Robert Booker was killed on 9 April 1943 during the Tunisian campaign of World War II, and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Stevon Booker was killed on 5 April 2003 during a "Thunder Run" in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[3][24]

Production

The U.S. Army took delivery of the first production vehicle in February 2024.[25] In May 2024, the U.S. Army issued a solicitation for full-rate production.[26]

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 Liberty 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.[27]

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.[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Nicholas Moran (8 January 2023). "Inside the Chieftain's Hatch Snapshot: XM10 Booker". youtube.com. The Chieftain. Retrieved 20 October 2024. Time-stamp: 2:34
  2. ^ "Army to Buy 500 New "Light Tank" Mobile Protected FirePower Vehicles". 26 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Dickstein, Corey (10 June 2023). "Army unveils the M10 Booker, its first new combat vehicle in two decades". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Rolls-Royce delivers first mtu Series 199 PowerPacks for M10 Booker Combat Vehicle Program". www.mtu-solutions.com. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  5. ^ "The M10 Booker Is the Army's New Mobile Assault Gun". Popular Mechanics. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b Eversden, Andrew (28 June 2022). "General Dynamics wins $1.14 billion Mobile Protected Firepower contract". Breaking Defense. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  7. ^ John, Ashley (18 April 2024). "Army takes delivery of first M10 Booker Combat Vehicle". U.S. Army. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b Winkle, Davis (22 June 2023). "The Army's M10 Booker is a tank. Prove us wrong". Military Times.
  9. ^ Atherton, Kelsey D. (9 September 2022). "Everything to know about the Army's new 38-ton light tank". Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ^ a b Bonenberger, Adrian (10 June 2023). "It's Not a Light Tank: Army Unveils New Armored Combat Vehicle". military.com. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  11. ^ Osborn, Kris (16 July 2022). "Army Says New Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicle is NOT a "Light Tank"". Warrior Waven. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b Nicholas Moran (19 January 2023). "Ten Responses to the MPF Discussion". youtube.com. The Chieftain. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  13. ^ Freedberg, Sydney J. Jr. (9 October 2018). "General Dynamics' Griffin III For US Army Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV)". Breaking Defense. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  14. ^ Tegler, Eric (7 March 2021). "Two Light Tank Prototypes Battle for the Future of Army Firepower". Popular Mechanics.
  15. ^ Brooks, Drew. "Tomorrow Talk". National Guard Magazine.
  16. ^ Turnbull, Grant (8 October 2018). "AUSA 2018: General Dynamics swoops in with 50mm-equipped Griffin - Shephard Media".
  17. ^ Foss, Christopher F., ed. (1997). "Light Tanks". Jane's Armour and Artillery (18th ed.). London: Jane's Publishing Group. pp. 171–173. ISBN 978-0710615428.
  18. ^ 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.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  19. ^ "Armored Gun System Loses Weight to Be Deployed by C-130". Inside the Pentagon. Vol. 9, no. 31. Inside Washington Publishers. 5 August 1993. JSTOR 43990667.
  20. ^ "U.S. Army awards General Dynamics contract for Mobile Protected Firepower" (Press release).
  21. ^ Keller, Jared (24 April 2020). "This could be the Army's next light tank of choice". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  22. ^ Roque, Ashley (2 March 2022). "US Army eliminates BAE Systems from 'light tank' competition". Janes.com.
  23. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (28 June 2022). "The Army Just Selected Its First Light Tank in Decades". The Drive.
  24. ^ Jen Judson (10 June 2023). "US Army's new combat vehicle named for soldiers killed in Iraq, WWII". Defense News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  25. ^ John, Ashley (18 April 2024). "Army takes delivery of first M10 Booker Combat Vehicle". U.S. Army. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  26. ^ Sukharev, Nickolai (8 May 2024). "Army seeks full-rate production for M10 Booker combat vehicle". Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  27. ^ a b Flowers, LTC Gary; Heaton, Dan. "M10s to Transform Light Infantry Forces" (PDF). Infantry (Fall 2023). U.S Department of the Army: 32–34. ISSN 0019-9532. Retrieved 10 September 2023.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

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