The M10 BOOKER, formerly known by the project name Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF), is undergoing field testing at the Yuma Proving Ground in hot, sandy Arizona and in the snow of Fort Greely, Alaska, ahead of Full Rate Production decision which is expected in the 3rd quarter of 2025.
The BOOKER, also described as an “assault gun”, is meant to provide Infantry Brigade Combat Teams with organic, “mobile, protected firepower capability necessary to defeat enemy prepared positions, destroy enemy armored vehicles, close with the enemy through fire and maneuver”.
The project dates back to 2018: On 17 December that year, Rapid Prototyping contracts were awarded to BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS). Delivery of MPF prototypes commenced in 3rd Quarter (3Q) FY 2020 and testing occurred from 4th Quarter FY 2020 to early 2nd Quarter (2Q) FY 2022, leading to the eventual selection of the GDLS entry.
On 28 June 2022 GDLS was awarded the MPF Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for initial deliveries, which in turn enable the continuation of the Army evaluation process to verify system performance on production vehicles, system operational effectiveness and suitability, and to establish the necessary production base. The vehicle was baptized M10 BOOKER on 10 June 2023.
The current testing, which sees the vehicle operate both in the field and in climatic simulation chambers, sees the platform subjected to a full complement of performance and reliability, accessibility, and maintainability testing. Test vehicles are running across punishing demanding road courses, up steep slopes and through a watery fording basin, sometimes while under a full load. Yuma is perfect to validate their performance in hot, desert conditions while at Fort Greely, Alaska, the M10 has to prove it can withstand the coldest winter months of the high north.
The M10 BOOKER is not intended to operate as a “true” Main Battle Tank, but as an infantry support gun. It is armed with a 105 mm cannon rather than a 120 mm and is lighter and less protected. With its MTU 8v199 TE-22, 800 hp diesel engine and Allison transmission, the BOOKER can travel at up to about 40 mph.
The BOOKER’s turret leverages the M1 ABRAMS’s turret organisation, while the hull is completely new, at least for the US Army: it is believed to draw from the ASCOD 2/AJAX experience, with initial prototypes by General Dynamics having employed AJAX hull bases under the marketing name “GRIFFIN”. Its main advantage over the M1 ABRAMS is the much lighter and shorter logistical tail it requires, requiring less fuel and support.
Its smaller sizes and weight also make it easier and faster to deploy and notably 2 can be airlifted, in combat-ready configuration, on a single C-17 GLOBEMASTER III. BAE’s entry, based on the M8, was even lighter and more easily deployable, including the ability to be moved more easily by smaller trucks and semitrailers than the BOOKER, better responding to requirements which initially even called for C-130 compatibility. At 42 tons, the M10 BOOKER has moved far past those thresholds, with the US Army evidently prioritizing other capability aspects.
84 vehicles have been ordered since 2022 with 33 more requested in the FY 2025 budget which are expected to mark the beginning of Full Rate production. The Army intends to finalize the relevant contract in the third Quarter of FY 2025.
Production is spread between Lima, Ohio (turret fabrication); Saginaw, in Michigan (hull fabrication); and Anniston, Alabama (final assembly). The first unit equipped with BOOKER is expected in the fourth quarter of 2025: the first battalion will be formed within the 82nd Airborne Division and will be handled as a Divisional asset, to be parcelled out to the BCTs according to the need of the moment.
The M10 BOOKER Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) for the long term is 504 systems, but the procurement Objective at the moment stands at 350, plus 12 developmental vehicles for a total of 362 planned purchases currently in the budget books. 504 vehicles would ensure each “Light” Division, both Active Component and ANG, would have its own M10 battalion.
Privacy Policy
Powered by © Mobilbyte s.a.s. Information Technology