General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) announced that it was awarded a $257.6 million U.S. Army contract modification for the second phase of M10 Booker Low Rate Initial Production of the newly named M10 Booker Combat Vehicle, formerly known as Mobile Protected Firepower. The M10 Booker is an armored fighting vehicle under development by General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) for the United States Army, based on the GDLS Griffin II light tank. It is to weigh about 42 tons and will according to description essentially serve the role of an assault gun. This latest award calls up 26 additional Booker vehicles.
“We are honored to continue to manufacture the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle. The M10 provides enhanced firepower for the Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat Teams and has been purpose-built to give them decisive lethality, mobility and survivability on current and future battlefields. We are proud that our years of innovation, research, development and investment have led to this solution for U.S. Soldiers,” said Gordon Stein, General Dynamics Land Systems vice president and general manager for U.S. operations.
Designed by General Dynamics Land Systems, the highly lethal, survivable and mobile direct-fire combat vehicle melds recently developed and battle-tested designs to dominate ground threats on the multi-domain battlefield. The Booker employs a four-person crew and features an enhanced thermal viewer, a large-caliber cannon, a lightweight hull and turret, and a modern diesel engine, transmission and suspension system. It has been designed from the start for capability upgrades, based on future operational needs. The vehicle is called a light tank or a medium weight tank by some sources, though Army officials consider this incorrect.
The U.S. Department of Defence has finally officially revealed the name of the first light tank in almost 40 years. The presentation ceremony of the tank took place on June 9, 2023, the U.S. Army’s birthday. The fighting vehicle was named M10 Booker after two members of the U.S. Army. The name honors Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker, who received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously for life-saving valor in the 2003 Iraq invasion, and Pvt. Robert D. Booker, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic actions in Tunisia in 1943 that cost his life. The M10 Booker was the second combat vehicle after the Stryker to be named after two militaries at once.
