Wikipedia

M10 Booker

Not to be confused with M10 tank destroyer.

The M10 Booker is an armored fighting vehicle under development 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 program in June 2022. The initial contract is for 96 low rate initial production (LRIP) vehicles, with first delivery by the end of 2023.[6]

M10 Booker
M10 Booker at its unveiling in June 2023
TypeArmored fighting vehicle
Assault gun[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, 1,070 hp (800 kW)
TransmissionAllison Transmission 3040 MX cross-drive
SuspensionHydropneumatic[5]
Operational
range
250–350 mi (400–560 km)
Maximum speed 45 mph (72 km/h)

Classification edit

The vehicle is called a light tank by some military officers and defense media due to its design and appearance,[7][8] though Army officials related to the MPF program consider this incorrect.[7][1][9] It is to weigh about 42 tons[3] and will according to description essentially serve the role of an assault gun.[1]

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, [1]

Background and selection edit

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

Derived from the Austrian-Spanish ASCOD infantry fighting vehicle-platform,[10] the GDLS Griffin II was offered under Army's Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF). In accordance with the program's caliber requirements, it incorporated a 105 mm M35 tank gun and a redesigned chassis.[11][12][13] 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.[14][15] The M35 is about 1,800 lb (816 kg) lighter than the M68 used on the M60 tank.[16]

In December 2018, GDLS was downselected, along with BAE Systems, to develop prototypes.[17] GDLS presented its first prototype in April 2020.[18] BAE's M8 AGS proposal was disqualified in March 2022.[19] In June 2022, GDLS won the Mobile Protected Firepower program competition and was awarded a contract worth up to $1.14 billion.[20][6]

Name edit

The MPF was officially designated "M10 Booker" in June 2023, named for two American soldiers. One was Private Robert D. Booker who was killed on 9 April 1943, during the Tunisian campaign of World War II, and who was awarded the Medal of Honor. The other was Staff Sergeant Stevon Booker who was killed on 5 April 2003, during a "Thunder Run" in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[3][21]

Production edit

The U.S. Army took delivery of the first production vehicle in February 2024.[22]

Organization and allocation edit

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 FY25. 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. 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.[23]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Bonenberger, Adrian (10 June 2023). "It's Not a Light Tank: Army Unveils New Armored Combat Vehicle". military.com. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Army to Buy 500 New "Light Tank" Mobile Protected FirePower Vehicles".
  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. ^ a b Winkle, Davis (22 June 2023). "The Army's M10 Booker is a tank. Prove us wrong". Military Times.
  8. ^ Atherton, Kelsey D. (9 September 2022). "Everything to know about the Army's new 38-ton light tank". Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  9. ^ Osborn, Kris (16 July 2022). "Army Says New Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicle is NOT a "Light Tank"". Warior Waven. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Tegler, Eric (7 March 2021). "Two Light Tank Prototypes Battle for the Future of Army Firepower". Popular Mechanics.
  12. ^ Brooks, Drew. "Tomorrow Talk". National Guard Magazine.
  13. ^ Turnbull, Grant (8 October 2018). "AUSA 2018: General Dynamics swoops in with 50mm-equipped Griffin - Shephard Media".
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "U.S. Army awards General Dynamics contract for Mobile Protected Firepower".
  18. ^ Keller, Jared (24 April 2020). "This could be the Army's next light tank of choice". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  19. ^ Roque, Ashley (2 March 2022). "US Army eliminates BAE Systems from 'light tank' competition". Janes.com.
  20. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (28 June 2022). "The Army Just Selected Its First Light Tank in Decades". The Drive.
  21. ^ Jen Judson (10 June 2023). "US Army's new combat vehicle named for soldiers killed in Iraq, WWII". Defense News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  22. ^ John, Ashley (18 April 2024). "Army takes delivery of first M10 Booker Combat Vehicle". U.S. Army. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  23. ^ 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.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

External links edit

  Media related to M10 Booker at Wikimedia Commons

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