The M10 Booker is an American assault gun,[1] alternatively described as an “armored infantry support vehicle”,[2] 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.[7][8]
Classification
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The vehicle has been called a light tank by some military officers and defense media due to its design and appearance,[9][10] although Army officials related to the MPF program consider this incorrect.[9][11][12] The vehicle weighs about 42 tons,[4] which is equivalent to various medium and main battle tanks operated by other nations.[13] By design, it is not a tank by modern standards, and will, according to description, essentially serve the role of an assault gun.[13]
The defence industry magazine ESD (European Security & Defence) reported in January 2025 that the 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[11]
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]
Background and selection
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An M10 Booker on the move
Derived from the Austrian-Spanish ASCOD 2 infantry fighting vehicle-platform,[14] 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.[15][16][17] 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.[18][19] The M35 is about 1,800 lb (816 kg) lighter than the M68 tank gun used on the M60 tank.[20]
A Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) Griffin II firing its 105 mm M35 cannon in 2024
In December 2018, GDLS was downselected, along with BAE Systems, to develop prototypes.[21] GDLS presented its first prototype in April 2020.[22] BAE’s M8 AGS proposal was disqualified in March 2022.[23] In June 2022, GDLS won the MPF program competition and was awarded a contract worth up to $1.14 billion.[24][7]
Name
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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.[4][25]
Production
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The U.S. Army took delivery of the first production vehicle in February 2024.[26] In May 2024, the U.S. Army issued a solicitation for full-rate production.[27]
Organization and allocation
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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.[28]
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
Type Assault gun[1]
Armored infantry support vehicle[2]
Place of origin United States
Production history
Designer General Dynamics Land Systems
Specifications
Mass roughly 38–42 tonnes (37–41 long tons; 42–46 short tons)[3][4]
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
Engine Diesel MTU 8V199 TE23[5]
15.9 L, 800 hp (600 kW)
Transmission Allison Transmission 3040 MX cross-drive
Suspension Hydropneumatic[6]
Operational
range 250–350 mi (400–560 km)
Maximum speed 45 mph (72 km/h)
font wikipedia
The discussion is: will we see this big boy in the US? Premium, squad, line or event? I prefer squad at 10.7 grb!
