Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Army will receive additional M10 Booker Combat Vehicles following a $300 million contract awarded to General Dynamics. The 40-ton light tank, armed with a 105mm main gun, 12.7mm heavy machine gun, and 7.62mm machine gun, features advanced sensors and optics, supporting rapid mobility and modular upgrades.

-Designed to enhance firepower and maneuverability in mechanized brigades, the M10 Booker reflects lessons from Ukraine’s ongoing war, where tanks remain crucial despite evolving threats like drones and advanced anti-tank munitions.

-Named in honor of fallen heroes, the Army aims to have over 500 M10 Bookers operational by 2035.

U.S. Army Expands Tank Fleet with M10 Booker Combat Vehicles in $300M Deal

The U.S. Army will soon be getting more light tanks.

The Pentagon awarded General Dynamics a contract worth more than $300 million for additional M10 Booker Combat Vehicles.

The M10 Booker Light Tank

General Dynamics received an additional low-rate initial production contract for the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle. Worth about $223 million, the contract is the latest in a series of contracts for the Army’s new light tank.

At 40 tons, the M10 Booker sports a 105mm M35 main gun, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, and a 7.62mm light machine gun. The Army’s latest armored vehicle can hit speeds of up to 45 miles an hour and has an operational range of approximately 350 miles. In terms of troop requirements, the M10 Booker has a crew of four men (commander, driver, gunner, and loader), much like the M1 Abrams main battle tank. The armored vehicle has the latest sensors and optics to make sure it is competitive on the modern battlefield.

In addition, its modular design makes it easy to incorporate future technological advances in the design, thus increasing the operational life of the combat vehicle and cutting procurement costs for unneeded replacements. The wider U.S. military has been moving toward weapon systems and munitions with a modular design because of the operational, logistical, and fiscal benefits they present.

The Army’s goal with the M10 Booker is to incorporate additional firepower and maneuverability into its mechanized brigades. The war in Ukraine has shown that tanks and mechanized units are still at the center of ground warfare. The advent of drones and advanced anti-tank munitions have made the life of combat armored vehicles much harder. But they are still very important to militaries for maneuver warfare.

The U.S. military has the most capable and one of the largest main battle tank fleets in the world. You can read more about America’s tank fleet in our latest article on the topic. But main battle tanks, heavy steel behemoths with big guns and lots of protection, aren’t the only tanks out there. Light tanks play an important role in an army’s mechanized firepower. They are intended to work in sync with main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers.

But beyond numbers and stats, the M10 Booker embodies the Army’s legacy. The new combat vehicle is named after Private Robert D. Booker, who posthumously won the Medal of Honor during World War Two, and Staff Sergeant Stevon A. Booker, who posthumously earned the Distinguished Service Cross in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The M10 Booker Combat Vehicle is named in [their] honor because it will accomplish what they both did—enabling squads to continue pushing forward through heavy machine-gun fire while protecting our most important weapon system: our Soldiers,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville had said during the naming ceremony of the armored vehicle.

The Army expects to have an operational capability by next year and wants to have more than 500 M10 Bookers by 2035.

About the Author 

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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