The M10 Booker Combat Vehicle propels U.S. Army forces into a new frontier of combat capability. The M10 Booker, developed by General Dynamics Land Systems, will provide the light infantry and airborne units with increased firepower and survivability that matches their dire need for rapid deployment and effective ground combat.
The M10 Booker is named after two fallen soldiers: Medal of Honor recipient Pvt. Named after Robert D. Booker and Distinguished Service Cross recipient Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker, the M10 Booker combines advanced technology with battlefield heritage. The vehicle features a 105mm XM35 cannon, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and a .50 caliber M2 commander’s machine gun. Complemented by advanced thermal sensors and a modular design, the M10 Booker is very valuable in both night and urban combat fields.
“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. This does seem to capture a sense of duality with this vehicle both as an advancement in technology as well as an homage to military valor.
But the M10 Booker is more than a new hardware piece; instead, it is the first major combat vehicle to be developed for the U.S. Army since the 1980s. The vehicle will have a crew of four: commander, driver, gunner, and loader. It is highly mobile, highly survivable, and able to achieve speeds of up to 40 miles per hour and be transported by the C-17 cargo jet for its rapid deployment to numerous combat zones.
The M10 Booker will face exhaustive testing for the next couple of years under desert, arctic, temperate, and tropical conditions to validate this vehicle’s performance regarding real-world threats. “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-world threats to ensure its survivability,” said Maj. Gen. Glenn Dean, program executive officer for Ground Combat Systems.
The US Army will purchase 504 M10 Booker vehicles, with full-rate production to start next year. First vehicles will go to Fort Liberty in North Carolina to undergo testing with the 82nd Airborne Division before going to Fort Stewart in Georgia for gunnery testing and training. There, an IOT&E event early next year will inform the pace of full-scale production.
“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,” said Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics, and technology. It is designed to provide the infantry brigades with an overwhelming precision firepower that enables them to sustain momentum with freedom of action against enemy forces.
The M10 Booker will introduce the U.S. Army’s light infantry and airborne units to new levels of lethality and survivability, better equipping them to face the realities of modern combat. As it goes through further testing and refinement, the game-changing presence on battlefields will serve as an icon of technology and military duty.