Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Department of Defense has pulled the plug on one of its newest combat vehicle programs, canceling further production of the M10 Booker just two years after its unveiling.
-Originally intended to bolster the Army’s infantry with a fast and mobile direct fire support platform, the Booker was designed to fill the gap between heavily armored tanks and lighter combat vehicles.
-But despite early optimism and the fact that production was already underway, the Pentagon has now confirmed the program’s termination.
The M10 Booker ‘Light Tank’ Is History
The decision was first hinted at in a May 1 memorandum titled Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform, which outlined a broader effort to eliminate “outdated, redundant and inefficient programs” across the Army’s modernization portfolio.
The M10 Booker, an armored infantry support vehicle rather than a main battle tank, appears to have fallen into this category.
Formal confirmation came in a June 11 press release from the U.S. Army, which announced that the program would not move into full-rate production. Though the Army has already delivered approximately 80 Bookers, the fate of these vehicles remains uncertain.
“In response to current world events and in support of the strategic objectives outlined in the Army Transformation Initiative, the U.S. Army has issued a termination for convenience of the current low-rate initial production of the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle and will not enter into full-rate production as originally planned,” the statement reads, adding that remaining funds in fiscal 2025 will be used to “accelerate fielding of war-winning capabilities.”
What Is the M10 Booker?
The M10 Booker was developed to bridge a long-standing capability gap in the U.S. Army – specifically, to provide infantry units with protected, mobile, direct fire support without relying on heavier main battle tanks.
Some call it a light tank, although the U.S. Army hated that classification.
The Booker was designed to accompany Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) into battle, offering a level of firepower and survivability that lighter vehicles simply could not match.
Sitting somewhere between a lighter tank and an assault gun, the Booker is equipped with a 105mm M35 low-recoil tank gun, backed by secondary armament options including a 0.50 caliber M2 commander’s weapon and a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun.
Made for a crew of four, the vehicle was intended to weigh just 38 tonnes and was designed to reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, making it significantly more mobile than heavier armored platforms like the M1 Abrams.
Despite its relatively light weight, the Booker was fitted with advanced technology found on heavier platforms and employed the same stabilized sighting system as the Abrams tank, giving it improved accuracy on the move.
A commander’s independent thermal optic also allows for 360-degree surveillance and faster target acquisition.
On paper, the M10 Booker appeared to be a near-perfect solution to the Army’s infantry firepower gap – fast, well-armed, and technologically advanced.
However, the program faced persistent problems that ultimately undermined its promise.
Why It Got Scrapped
The decision to scrap the M10 Booker came after months of internal deliberation, cost reassessments, and a broader shift in modernization priorities after President Donald Trump appointed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following his inauguration in January.
First among the concerns was weight. Originally envisioned as a lightweight air-deployable platform, the Booker ended up weighing over 42 tonnes, well above early projections.
The added weight made the Booker incompatible with air-drop operations and unsuitable for many rapid-deployment scenarios that IBCTs face.
Cost was another factor. The program’s overall price tag had grown to an estimated $17 billion, and the vehicle’s maintenance contract with General Dynamics was widely criticized within Army leadership as inflexible and unfavorable.
For a platform already failing to meet key operational requirements, those costs became impossible to justify.
There was also a deeper acknowledgement within the Army that the Booker’s development has suffered from “requirements drift.”
Instead of producing a truly light mobile support vehicle, the program resulted in what Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll described as a “Frankenstein” design.
What comes next remains to be seen. While no direct replacement for the M10 Booker has been named, the Army still intends to close the infantry firepower gap – just not with the Booker.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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