In a major milestone for the U.S. Army, the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle was officially christened on April 18, 2024, during a naming ceremony at Aberdeen Proving Ground. The state-of-the-art vehicle will transform light maneuver force capabilities with its unprecedented firepower and protection.
Built on honor, the M10 Booker is named in honor of two heroic siblings in arms, Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Robert D. Booker and Distinguished Service Cross recipient Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker. The M10 Booker reflects the Army’s dedication to honoring its legacy while modernizing its future. The development of the vehicle marks a pivotal milestone in the ongoing Army transformation to set the conditions for overmatch in large-scale combat operations within a multidomain environment.
The first M10 Booker vehicle to be delivered to the Army arrived at Anniston Army Depot in late February, with three production units to date. This new combat vehicle is specially engineered to provide infantry brigades with overwhelming precision firepower, and the ability to sustain momentum while also preserving choice of action in dealing with enemy forces. “The M10 Booker brings a new level of lethality and protection to our infantry forces,” said Doug Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.
Over the next two years, the M10 Booker will endure thousands of rounds fired at it and thousands of miles of driving to test its reliability and maintainability. Testing of the vehicle, according to Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, the Program Executive Officer for Ground Combat Systems, includes a range of environmental conditions deserts to the Arctic to demonstrate survivability from real-world threats.
The M10 Booker will be operationally tested by the 82nd Airborne Division, culminating in the fielding of the first operational company by summer 2025. Capt. Rachel Ledbetter, M10 Booker Test Detachment company commander, received a ceremonial shell casing as a dedication ceremony symbol that the vehicle stood ready for action in the face of future challenges.
The M10 Booker, formerly the Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicle, is an advanced technology vehicle to support infantry formations. It consists of a 105mm M35 Primary Weapon, a 7.62mm Coax weapon, and a 0.50 M2 commander’s weapon. It is designed to be very deployable, with two units able to be transported on a C-17 aircraft.
Further evidence of the Army’s confidence in the M10 Booker is the recent $1.14 billion contract to General Dynamics Land Systems for the production and fielding of up to 96 vehicles. The deal follows a successful middle-tier acquisition rapid-prototyping phase where 24 prototypes were tested and evaluated during the pandemic.
Brig. Gen. Geoffrey Norman, Director of the NGCV CFT pointed out it was a collaborative effort that brought the M10 Booker into being. “The vehicle delivered precisely as requested by the Army, completing a competitive and accelerated rapid prototyping effort with direct involvement from Soldiers,” he said.
If all goes well, the M10 Booker will be the Army’s first new design vehicle fielded in over four decades, its first unit equipped scheduled for late fiscal year 2025. It will provide mobile, protected direct-fire capability to IBCTs to defeat light armored vehicles, hardened enemy fortifications, and dismounted personnel.
The Army, as it continues to field the M10 Booker, will create “Mobile Protected Firepower” battalions at Fort Johnson, Fort Campbell, Fort Liberty, and Fort Carson, among others, in concert with the National Guard. A broad deployment such as this guarantees light infantry formations what they need to succeed on the modern battlefield.
The M10 Booker represents a quantum leap in capability for the Army modernization effort, marrying emerging technology with known capabilities into a combat vehicle that meets requirements both for today and tomorrow.