Article Summary: The U.S. Army’s M10 Booker assault gun is undergoing rigorous testing in Alaska’s freezing conditions and at Arizona’s Yuma Proving Ground. Designed to provide critical infantry support, the M10 features a 105mm low-recoil tank gun, an 800-horsepower diesel engine, and advanced hydraulic suspension.
Key Point #1 – Unlike the M1 Abrams, it is lighter and transport-friendly—two can fit inside a C-17 aircraft.
Key Point #2 – The Army plans to field the first operational company in 2025, with the 82nd Airborne set to receive the initial units. As testing continues, the M10 is proving to be a game-changer in modern battlefield operations.
U.S. Army’s M10 Booker: The New Assault Gun Making Big Strides
The U.S. Army’s new assault gun, or better known as the M10 Booker, is going through cold weather testing in Alaska. The U.S. Army is also putting it through the paces at their Yuma Proving Ground test site.
One of the U.S. Army’s newest combat vehicles, the Booker M10, is going through significant testing ahead of deployment with the U.S. Army — all part of the journey toward broader service following full-rate production.
Peter George, a Booker Combat Vehicle Product Manager, recently took to Linkedin to talk about recent cold-weather testing in Alaska, taking advantage of the bitterly cold winter months to test the M10 in extreme conditions.
“I spent a week with professionals from the Arctic Regions Test Site in Fort Greeley, Alaska, where we are putting the Booker though a gamut of extreme cold temperature testing in some of the worlds most challenging conditions,” George said. “These testers regularly live life well below zero degrees.”
Testing, Testing, Testing
In addition to the cold-weather testing, the M10 is also undergoing testing at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, as noted in a recent U.S. Army press release.
“The Army’s highly touted assault gun is meant as an armored infantry support vehicle, not a battle tank. The Army has stated they will ultimately acquire more than 500 of the vehicles for this role.”
Though certainly not as well-protected, as fast, or boasting the same degree of firepower as the M1 Abrams, its more diminutive size does come with a district set of advantages.
“The data we are collecting is for a decision on full rate production next summer,” Jade Janis, a Yuma Proving Ground test officer, explained.
The M10 Booker Combat Vehicle proudly displays its namesake on the gun tube during the Army Birthday Festival at the National Museum of the U.S. Army, June 10, 2023. The M10 Booker Combat Vehicle is named after two American service members: Pvt. Robert D. Booker, who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for actions in World War II, and Staff Sgt. Stevon A. Booker, who posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross for actions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Their stories and actions articulate the Army’s need for the M10 Booker Combat Vehicle, an infantry assault vehicle that will provide protection and lethality to destroy threats like the ones that took the lives of these two Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Bernardo Fuller)
Though certainly not as well-protected, as fast, or boasting the same degree of firepower as the M1 Abrams, its more diminutive size does come with a district set of advantages. Compared to legacy 105mm tank guns, the M10 Booker’s main gun is nearly two tons lighter, helping to keep weight low.
“It’s a lightweight infantry vehicle similar in weight to a Bradley, but with a larger weapon,” said Janis. “The intent is to be able to rapidly deploy them with an infantry combat brigade: you should be able to fit two of them in a C17.”
“The M10’s main weapon is a M35 105mm low-recoil tank gun, significantly larger than the 25mm chain gun on the Bradley, and also boasts a 12.7mm M2 heavy machine gun and 7.62 mm Coax machine gun. The platform’s diesel engine puts out 800 horsepower and can power it up to 40 miles per hour. The hydraulic suspension is similar to the advanced running gear tested on a Bradley surrogate at YPG about five years ago.”
Not Exactly a Tank
Though the M10 looks outwardly like a tank, the U.S. Army has pushed back against the light tank moniker. Instead, the M10 is an assault gun intended to support infantry surmounting or overcoming obstacles like fortifications, bunkers, and other emplacements, as well as unarmored or lightly armored vehicles and dismounted infantry.
Though the M10 does outwardly resemble its larger cousin, the M1 Abrams main battle tank, it is significantly lighter and sports a smaller main gun. Logistically, it’s nimbler too — tipping the scales at around 40 tons, it’s considerably lighter than the M1, making transport more efficient. Whereas just a single M1 can fit inside a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, a pair of M10s should be able to fit inside the same aircraft.
M10 Booker. Image Credit: U.S. Army.
If the schedule the U.S. Army has previously mentioned is ultimately followed, then the 82nd Airborne will field the first operational company of M10s in the summer of 2025.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
