New gem of the US Army. The light tank M10 Booker
During the AUSA 2023 tradeshow, General Dynamics Land Systems unveiled the M10 Booker light tank. It's an unusual machine, in which the American military places enormous hope.
The US Army command presented the lightweight M10 Booker tank in June 2023. This machine was showcased in all its glory at the AUSA fair in October.
Light tank M10 Booker - new gem of the US Army
The M10 Booker is a tank weighing 46 tons, manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems. It was created in commemoration of the 248th anniversary of the establishment of the American land forces, and the first batch, consisting of 26 units, is set to be delivered before the end of 2023. In the army, it will serve as a sort of "bridge" between the M1128 Mobile Gun System vehicles and M1A2 Abrams tanks. By 2035, the American army wants to have at least 500 such machines.
The M10 Booker is 24.9 ft long and 11.2 ft wide, and its height is 9.2 ft. The tank is equipped with a main smoothbore gun of 105 mm caliber. The effective range of fire is defined at 2.5 miles in the case of fragmentation shells and 1.1 miles for anti-tank shells. In addition to this, the machine is also armed with a 7.62-mm machine gun, a 12.7-mm heavy machine gun on the turret, and quad launchers for smoke grenades on both sides.
Inside, there's room for a four-person crew: the driver, commander, gunner, and loader. Cameras and all-around sensors equipped in the M10 Booker provide a 360-degree view, complemented by the Safra PASEO surveillance and targeting head. Meanwhile, the fire control system was borrowed from the M1A2SEPv3 tank.
The heart of the tank is a high-compression MTU engine with a power of 800 horsepower. It is accompanied by an Allison 3040 MX power transfer system (in the power-pack configuration), and the whole thing is mounted on a Horstman hydropneumatic suspension and T-161 tracks. The maximum speed reaches 40 mph on a paved road and 31 mph off-road, and the maximum range exceeds 186 miles.
For a light tank, the M10 Booker is quite powerful. The US Army command points out that the nomenclature here is indeed a bit imprecise. It also adds that the primary task of this machine will be to support infantry combat teams in such a way as destroying enemy fortifications and guns.
