The M10 Booker Ground Combat Vehicle was touted as being the most significant improvement in armored capability in US Army history. GDLS, the land warfare branch of the aerospace and defense juggernaut General Dynamics, designed it to be unmatched, intended to translate into a singular lethality, mobility, and survivability for IBCTs.
The first M10 Booker vehicle arrived in the US Army in April 2024 and will face a demanding two-year testing period to showcase that it meets all the requirements for deployment in the actual battlefield environment.
The M10 Booker has advanced capabilities to serve as an indispensable asset in the IBCT, providing decisive firepower and enhanced protection on the multidomain battlefield.
In June 2022, General Dynamics Land Systems won the contract for the US Army’s MPF by securing a low-rate initial production LRIP worth $1.14 billion for up to 96 combat vehicles. Following the successful evaluation of prototypes, the US Army awarded a contract modification valued at $258 million to the company in July 2023 for the production of an additional 26 M10 Booker vehicles.
The M10 Booker is a 38-ton armored light tank mounted on the M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 main battle tank. Its armaments include a 105mm M35 primary weapon, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and a 12.7mm heavy machine gun attached to the commander’s hatch. With this massive caliber and advanced fire control systems, fortifications, bunkers, buildings, and even light-to-medium armored vehicles could be struck and destroyed.
Doug Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, commented that the M10 Booker compared relatively well in this regard.
“Lighter and faster than the Abrams M1, but still with a lethal 105 mm punch,” he said, underlining the often-forgotten trade-off between mobility and firepower.
The M10 Booker features a lightweight hull and turret, an advanced thermal viewer, and add-on armor panels providing enhancements of protection against improvised explosive devices.
The vehicle is also fitted with the mtu 8V 199 PowerPack engine, giving the power equivalent of 600kW, for an excellent power-to-weight ratio, and extraordinary cross-country maneuvering capability.
The PowerPack is an integral part, consisting of an engine, transmission, cooling system, air filtration, energy system, preheating equipment, and power management to deliver optimal performance in diverse terrains.
Rolls-Royce MTU 8V 199 PowerPacks marks the first time in more than four decades that an MTU serial production engine is part of a US Army land defense program.
The PowerPacks will be assembled and tested at the MTU manufacturing facility in Aiken, South Carolina, and the LRIP phase runs through 2025.
The US Army will purchase up to 504 M10 Booker combat vehicles by 2035. There will be 14 for each IBCT, and the 82nd Airborne Division will be the first unit to receive the M10 Booker when it receives 33 M10s in late FY25.
This is when the M10s will be treated as a divisional asset and which of the IBCTs the commanders decide to support based on mission objectives.
M10 Booker will alter everything within the armored capabilities of the American military and will prove to be a versatile, powerful device for modern warfare.