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2024-10-07

M10 Booker: Heavy Firepower, Light on Feet

The U.S. Army unveiled its latest combat vehicle, the M10 Booker, during a ceremonial christening at Aberdeen Proving Ground on April 18. Formerly known as the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) Vehicle, it is set to enhance the capabilities of light manoeuvre forces, enabling them to effectively outmatch adversaries on the battlefield.

Over the next two years, the Army will conduct rigorous testing to ensure the M10 Booker meets high deployment standards. This evaluation will include firing thousands of rounds and covering extensive distances to assess reliability and maintainability.

Major General Glenn Dean, the programme executive officer for Ground Combat Systems, said: “We will 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.”

In June 2023, the U.S. Army announced the vehicle platform was named to honour two enlisted Army Soldiers who served the nation selflessly during times of great conflict — Medal of Honour recipient Pvt. Robert D. Booker, who perished in World War II; and Distinguished Service Cross recipient Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker, who died from injuries sustained in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In late February 2024, the Army took delivery of the first M10 Booker vehicle at Anniston Army Depot. To date, three production M10 vehicles have been delivered to the U.S. Army.

The Booker provides infantry brigades overwhelming precision firepower, allowing it to maintain momentum and freedom of action.

During the next several months, it will be involved in an operational test with the 82nd Airborne Division, all culminating in fielding the first operational company of M10 Booker Combat Vehicles to the 82nd Airborne in the summer of 2025.

Development Phase

The MPF programme, initiated by the U.S. Army, aimed to procure a combat vehicle with mobile, protected direct fire capabilities. In November 2017, the Army issued an RFP (Request for Proposal) for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase, planning to award up to two contracts in early 2019, with a target buy of 504 systems.

Science Applications International Corporation partnered with ST Kinetics and CMI Defence, while BAE Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) offered their designs.

By December 2018, BAE and GDLS were selected for rapid prototyping contracts up to USD 376 million. Despite production delays due to COVID-19, GDLS delivered its prototypes by December 2020 and BAE by February 2021, with the assessment phase starting in January 2021 at Fort Bragg.

By June 2022, the U.S. Army selected the GDLS MPF vehicle, now known as the M10 Booker.

Testing Overview

During the MTA (Middle Tier of Acquisition) phase the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command conducted the Limited User Test from September 15 to November 3, 2021. Operational testing was conducted in accordance with DOT&E-approved test plans and was adequate to inform the Milestone C in June 2022. DOT&E observed the test and published an Operational Assessment Report in April 2022.

The MTA live fire events were sufficient to inform the survivability and force protection considerations for vendor down-select. Each contractor provided armour coupons and two ballistic hull and turret structures for live fire survivability testing.

The Army’s LFT&E programme included armour coupon testing to assess performance of armour recipes against penetration from operationally relevant threats; exploitation testing to evaluate integrated armour solutions and determine if welds, seams, bolts, hatches, and doors are vulnerable to penetration from direct and indirect fire threats; and ballistic, hull, and turret testing to evaluate structural response to required threats.

Design Features

The M10, developed under the U.S. Army’s Middle Tier Acquisition Pathway, showcases rapid prototyping and deployment of advanced combat technologies.

The programme facilitates the swift development and fielding of systems with minimal development needs, ensuring that proven technologies are quickly integrated into operational use. The vehicle was produced within four years through close collaboration between acquisition and requirement teams.

Designed by General Dynamics Land Systems, the M10 enhances infantry capabilities by providing superior firepower and situational awareness. It features a 105mm M35 main gun, a 7.62mm coaxial weapon, and a .50 M2 commander’s weapon, offering robust direct-fire capabilities.

The vehicle incorporates advanced systems including an Abrams primary weapon sight.

It excels in survivability and mobility. It comprises a lightweight hull and turret, a modern diesel engine, and a sophisticated transmission and suspension system, all designed to ensure high performance in diverse terrains, including off-road environments. It is equipped with an enhanced thermal viewer for improved target identification at greater distances, bolstering its operational effectiveness.

Fielding and testing will commence with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty later this year, with additional “Mobile Protected Firepower” battalions planned for Fort Johnson, Fort Campbell, Fort Liberty, Fort Carson, and the National Guard. It is designed for future capability upgrades, integrating battle-tested and newly developed technologies to maintain relevance in evolving operational environments.

Large Calibre Main Gun

The vehicle comes with a large calibre main gun that provides the Brigade Combat Team (BCT) with a mobile, protected, direct fire capability against light armoured vehicles, hardened enemy fortifications, and dismounted personnel.

It will be able to fire a broad spectrum of currently fielded munitions that can achieve lethal effects against a variety of targets in support of BCT missions. The design includes armour, smoke grenade launchers, blowoff panels, and automatic fire suppression intended to enhance survivability against direct/indirect fire, rocket-propelled grenades, and underbody threats.

BCTs will employ the Booker vehicle across a range of military operations, including forced and early entry operations in high Anti-Access/ Area Denial environments, in direct support of infantry squads, platoons, and companies. The purpose of the vehicle is to engage and neutralise enemy personnel, bunkers, machine gun positions, fortifications, and strongpoints, as well as defeat light armoured threats.

Its lighter weight improves transportability and manoeuvrability in diverse environments. The vehicle has a range of 300 kilometres and can reach a maximum speed of 40 mph. It is capable of operating for 24 hours after being deployed or upon arrival at a drop zone. It can handle steep hills, valleys, urban terrain, and water fording, similar to other IBCT vehicles.

Manned by a crew of four, the M10 Booker is also designed to accommodate capability upgrades to meet evolving operational needs.

Armament and Self-Protection

The vehicle is equipped with a large-calibre cannon, a lightweight hull and turret, and an advanced thermal viewer. Its turret design is based on the Abrams SEPv3 fire control systems and is armed with a 105mm M35 gun.

Its primary armaments include the 105mm M35 main gun, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and a .50 M2 machine gun for the commander. Additionally, a 12.7mm heavy machine gun is mounted on the commander’s hatch.

It features the Safran Optic 1s’ PASEO Commander’s Independent Tactical Viewer, which offers a long-range panoramic targeting sight and enhanced situational awareness for the commander and crew in various combat scenarios.

Relying on its unique expertise in inertial and infrared technologies, Safran Defense designed PASEO, the latest-generation of advanced panoramic sight to improve the survivability and fighting capabilities of the Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) and Main Battle Tanks (MBT).

Highly versatile, PASEO is suited to 30-125 mm Gunner and Commander’s applications as well as Forward Observation Artillery. Effective day and night, it provides a true “fire-on the-move” capability, with a high first-round hit probability, whether on static or moving targets.

PASEO also offers coupling between its optronic and inertial navigation functions, enabling it to address geolocation requirements in tactical situations. This capability is reinforced by a unique real-time panoramic and sectoral surveillance function.

PASEO’s modular design and adaptability also meets the standardisation requirement for today’s armed forces. Another strong point is that the new system integrates intelligence gathered during the deployment of a large number of PASEO -equipped vehicles operating in a wide range of theatres.

The vehicle also includes add-on armour panels, under-vehicle protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and proven ammunition compartmentation to ensure crew safety.

Power Pack Engine

The M10 is powered by MTU 8V 199 PowerPacks, delivering 600 kW of power. The engine features a high power-to-weight ratio and, combined with the hydro-pneumatic suspension, provides exceptional speed and cross-country manoeuvrability for the vehicle.

The integrated PowerPack system includes the engine, transmission, cooling system, air filtration, energy management, preheating equipment, and power management components. The vehicle is equipped with a 3040 MX cross-drive transmission system, which supports the propulsion, steering, and braking functions of medium-tracked combat vehicles.

The transmission system is designed to be compatible with future control platforms, allowing for performance enhancements throughout the combat vehicle’s operational lifespan.

Operational Assessment

The vehicle’s progress towards achieving operational effectiveness is satisfactory. Risk to achieving operational effectiveness include: minimising its audible signature, improving compatibility of M10 Booker and infantry target designators to allow sharing of target information, and improving the usability of the intercom system.

The companies equipped with the Booker vehicle accomplished their missions more consistently than a unit without Booker vehicle support and took fewer casualties during force-onforce operations.

During gunnery, the Booker vehicle crews qualified on gunnery tables developed for the MPF. The M10 Booker platoon was able to communicate with the supported infantry unit, and their high-powered radios provided additional communications capability to the dismounted infantry soldiers.

Modifications to Crew Procedures

Vehicle reliability and availability support infantry brigade operations. The M10 shares many fire control components with the Abrams tank. The similarity in turrets will allow its crews to train on existing Abrams simulators, and reduces the vehicle-specific training that maintainers will need to support it.

Developmental testing found that the M10 Booker had high levels of toxic fumes when firing the main gun, requiring modifications to crew procedures during gunnery to mitigate the build-up of fumes in the turret.

The U.S. Army plans to establish an MPF battalion at the division level, which will provide MPF companies to IBCTs. Each MPF company will consist of 64 armour crew members and 24 armour maintenance soldiers. By 2035, the Army is expected to acquire a total of 504 MPF combat vehicles, with each IBCT receiving 14 MPFs.

Transmission System

Allison Transmission, an automatic transmission solutions provider, supplied the transmission system for the vehicle. It received an approximately US$13 million contract for phase two of the LRIP (Low-Rate Initial Production) contract for the M10 Booker combat vehicle in September 2023.

In October 2023, Rolls-Royce supplied the first mtu 8V 199 PowerPack for the M10 Booker armoured fighting vehicle programme. The company will deliver up to 96 PowerPacks as part of the LRIP contract for the M10 Booker vehicle.

The new MPF is more than 30-tonnes lighter than an Abrams tank, much faster than an Abrams and, perhaps most of all, air deployable aboard a C-17.

Future-Ready Flexibility

Overall, the M10 represents a significant advancement in U.S. Army capabilities, bridging critical gaps in mobile firepower. With its combination of agility, firepower, and modern technology, it is poised to enhance infantry operations in diverse combat environments, ensuring effective support for ground troops. As military strategies evolve, its adaptability will be crucial in responding to emerging threats.

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