M10 booker: New era of light tanks in the US Army

When we hear "US Army" and "tank" in one sentence, we instinctively think of the mighty Abrams. Its first version (M1) weighed about 60 tons, and today, the fully equipped M1A2 SEPv3 can weigh almost 80 tons. This does not mean the American armed forces have always had only one tank type. On the contrary, even in the 1990s, alongside the primary M1 and the last M60s in service, there were also light tanks like the M551 Sheridan and (formally) the M8.

Anders is dead, time for booker – A light tank for the US Army

After the former's withdrawal and the latter's cancellation, a gap emerged in the US Army's capabilities regarding light, highly mobile fire support vehicles, only partially filled by the M1128 MGS (also now retired). Currently, the M10 Booker is set to fill this gap, and the operational tests initiated on July 8, conducted with the participation of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, confirm the intent to bring the vehicle into service.

The path to the Booker

Since the retirement of the M551 Sheridan in 1996, the US Army has not had a light tank, although it was believed that such a vehicle should be in the arsenal of airborne troops (three active divisions: 11th, 82nd, and 101st). During Sheridan's service, there were several attempts to replace it, but none were successful. The closest to entering service was the M8 Buford. The US Army planned to buy 237 tanks weighing about 18 tons (without additional armor, up to a maximum of 26 tons), which could be transported on board a C-130 Hercules (or even three – alongside four HMMWVs – on a C-17) and armed with an M35 105 mm caliber gun. Despite the decision to introduce the tank into service and start production in 1996, the program was canceled after producing seven prototype and test vehicles. The vehicle was subsequently offered to the US Army several times.

For about a decade, there was a possibility that the Abrams would not only be supplemented but partly replaced by a light tank under the Future Combat Systems program. The XM1202 was supposed to be one of the variants of a relatively light (up to about 33 tons) multi-purpose modular vehicle of the MGV family. The idea was revolutionary, but significant losses in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered by very similar Strykers (the Stryker program was essentially a "pilot" form of implementing the MGV tracked vehicle concept) led to the program's cancellation in 2009. Consequently, the US Army infantry was left without tanks, and the Stryker brigades only had M1128 support vehicles.

The idea of introducing a light tank in the US infantry and airborne units resurfaced in 2015. During military operations, maneuvers, and simulations, it was determined that the American light formations were too "light," i.e., they lacked armored vehicles capable of supporting infantry on the battlefield. These were deemed necessary for airborne formations dropped from planes outside the reach of enemy air defenses to reach their objectives. The answer to this need was a new light tank, called Mobile Protected Firepower (the US Army temporarily borrowed a small batch of LAV-25 wheeled infantry fighting vehicles from the USMC). Three companies vied for the contract for over 500 tanks (initially 14 for each infantry brigade and optionally for Stryker brigades): BAE Systems with the ELT tank (a modernized M8), GDLS with the Griffin (a deeply modified GDELS ASCOD chassis with a new turret), and ST Kinetics with the NGAFV with a John Cockerill 3105 turret.

The first company to drop out of the program was the Asian company; in 2021, BAE Systems faced problems – the company had difficulties delivering the contracted test vehicles on time. In June 2022, the US Army finally selected GDLS as the contract executor, later giving the Griffin the formal designation: M10 Booker (initially the MPF tank was to bear the designation M1302). Concurrently, GDLS received a contract worth $1.14 billion for delivering the first batch of 96 tanks, 24 of which will be used for testing. Ultimately, the US Army will receive the aforementioned 504 tanks (with the possible order of an additional 100-200), which will be distributed according to the Army 2028 concept among so-called standard light divisions, with one battalion (42 tanks) in each. The first will be formed next year in the 82nd Airborne Division under the name 3-73 Armor Thunderbolts.

What is the Booker like?

According to the producer, the M10 Booker has the "DNA of the Abrams" in its turret. This means that the turret of the light tank utilizes solutions used in the much heavier main battle tank (from the same manufacturer) and developed for unrealized Abrams variants. The Booker is, of course, much lighter, weighing 42 tons (46 tons with additional armor). It is still not lightweight, and transport on board a Hercules is out of the question, with only two tanks fitting in a C-17. The large crew compartment from an infantry fighting vehicle (with a front engine) at this weight means not very impressive armor.

The armament consists of an M35 105 mm caliber rifled gun, paired with a 7.62 mm M240B machine gun, and an additional 12.7 mm M2HB machine gun mounted on the turret. The vehicle is equipped with a modern fire control system, similar to that of the M1A2 SEPv3. Good traction performance is provided by an MTU 8V199 TE23 engine with a power output of 800 HP, coupled with an Allison 3040 MX automatic transmission. The vehicle's suspension is hydropneumatic, from Horstmann. The vehicle can reach up to 45 mph on paved roads. The crew consists of four soldiers.

In other armies

Vehicles similar to the Booker are used in many armies. In Russia, the Airborne Forces have a light tank (officially a self-propelled gun) 2S25 Sprut-SD, with almost the same armament as the primary T-72 or T-90, but with "paper" armor. Meanwhile, the Turkish-Indonesian Harimau, with a conventional design layout, has entered service in Indonesia. Its lower mass allows operations in the difficult Indonesian terrain, where heavier Leopard 2s cannot operate, and the Israeli-Spanish-American Sabrah serves a similar function in the Philippines. The true "masters" of light tanks are the Chinese, who produce two different types simultaneously: the amphibious ZBD-05, developed with the invasion of Taiwan in mind, and the more conventional Type 15, designed for operations in Tibet and on the India-China border. This latest design prompted India to develop its own light tank. The recently unveiled Zorawar is intended to serve on the border with China in the disputed Ladakh region.

Returning momentarily to the USA, the country will likely see the emergence of a second light tank, albeit unmanned—such a vehicle is expected to be developed within the RCV-H program.

Over time, a futuristic mobile model named PL-01 Concept on the Swedish CV90120 chassis was also unveiled (the model's design is regularly used by companies worldwide as their "own future tank!"). In 2012-13, the Rydwan and the Gepard programs were launched successively. The latter program was ultimately canceled around 2020 when developing a light tank was deemed pointless.

Modern light tanks are specialized vehicles designed for airborne troops, mountain troops, or operations in other challenging conditions. If there is anything to regret, it's that a successful family of tracked vehicles, such as a heavy infantry fighting vehicle, various support vehicles, or even a new chassis for the Krab, could have been developed based on Anders, Rydwan, or Gepard.