Summary: The U.S. Army has received its first M10 Booker combat vehicles from General Dynamics Land Systems, entering low-rate initial production. The new weapons platform would certainly give nations like Russia trouble on any battlefield. 

-Named after two fallen American soldiers, the M10 Booker is designed to enhance the Army's firepower and maneuverability.

-Testing at Fort Liberty, NC, and Fort Stewart, GA, will assess its performance in various conditions.

-The Army plans to acquire 504 units, each costing between $12 million and $14 million, with full-rate production expected to begin next year.

U.S. Army's New M10 Booker Combat Vehicle Begins Testing Phase

The United States Army's new assault vehicle is charging forward. Last month, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) announced that it delivered the first M10 Booker Combat Vehicles to the Army, as it reached low-rate initial production (LRIP).

"The M10 Booker is named after two American heroes who gave their lives in service to their country, and we are honored to design, build and deliver these vehicles to the Army," said Gordon Stein, General Dynamics Land Systems vice president and general manager for U.S. operations in a May 15, 2024 statement. "These latest Bookers incorporate improvements and lessons we learned from the Middle Tier Acquisition phase of the program, and we’re confident that Soldiers will find them highly useful in completing their missions."

The LRIP will support the U.S. Army's testing and logistic efforts, which will determine any modifications that may need to be made to the platform. Breaking Defense reported that the initial units will be sent to Fort Liberty, North Carolina, and put to the tests later this summer with the 82nd Airborne Division before some of the M10s then head to Fort Stewart, Georgia for additional gunnery training and testing.

"We will also put the vehicle through production qualification and testing in desert, arctic, temperate and tropical conditions, challenging it with obstacles like gaps and walls to scale, and engaging it with real word threats to ensure its survivability," said Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems, in an April U.S. Army press release.

Early next year, the Booker will then head to an Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) event to finalize any near-term and long-term modifications that GDLS will need to make. That will move the program forward, with the tracked vehicle on track to reach a full-rate production contract that could be awarded in the second quarter of next year.

Citing budget requests, Breaking Defense further reported that the U.S. Army eyes acquiring 504 M10 Bookers, with the initial vehicles costing between $12 million and $14 million.

A New Light Tank?

Originally initiated as the Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicle (MPFV), it was officially designated the M10 last year – while it honors two different soldiers named Booker.

The first was Medal of Honor recipient Private Robert Booker of the 133rd Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, who was killed on April 9, 1943, near Fondouk, Tunisia, during the Second World War; while the latter was tank commander and Distinguished Service Cross recipient Staff Sergeant Stevon Booker, Company A, 1st Battalion, 64th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, who was killed in April 5, 2003, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The Army is undertaking its most significant transformation in several decades to dominate in large-scale combat operations in a multidomain environment, and the M10 Booker is a crucial part of that transformation," added Doug Bush, the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, in the April release.

The M10 Booker: More Than a Light Tank

The GDLS prototype beat out a design from BAE Systems in 2022. It is the first major combat vehicle developed for the U.S. Army since the late stages of the Cold War in the 1980s. The finalized M10 Booker is operated by a crew of four, including a commander, a driver, a gunner, and a loader.

Its main armament is the XM35 105mm cannon, while it is also armed with a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, .50 caliber M2 commander's machine gun, and is further equipped with the Abrams primary weapon sight, smoke grenade launchers, blowoff panels, and an automatic fire suppression system. Those features are intended to increase the survivability against both direct and indirect fire, including from rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The M10 can reach a top speed of 40 miles per hour, while two Bookers can be transported on the C-17 cargo plane.

It is now undergoing testing and will soon allow soldiers to move at a faster pace, and protect an assault force in a variety of terrains.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].