PD1 - Delivery of First Production Vehicle M10 Booker Combat Vehicle
The Army spent well over a billion dollars on a light tank but is now discontinuing it, just as the program was set to begin full-rate production. The M10 Booker was poised to become the first new combat vehicle to enter the force in four decades.
The U.S. Army announced the M10 Booker cancellation in a memo released early last month. Then, on June 11, the service officially terminated its program. According to the Army, shifting world events influenced the decision to halt production.
The Army sought to align with new objectives under its Transformation Initiative as a result. Therefore, the Army cancelled the M10 Booker’s low-rate production for strategic flexibility.
They also confirmed the vehicle will not move into full-rate production as originally planned. Ultimately, this decision reflects evolving battlefield needs and defense priorities.
Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster
The Army sought to fill a lethality gap in its infantry formations, and after an analysis led by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, who led the Army’s future-focused efforts within Training and Doctrine Command, the service determined it required a Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle.
The new light tank would be more durable and lethal than enemy machine guns and light armor, but it could also be airdropped by C-130 aircraft.
Finally, the Army’s requirements heavily focused on a vehicle that could survive in various terrains, which necessitated a tracked design; however, this emphasis on survivability and lethality did not permit the development of an airdroppable vehicle.
On June 9 at the Pentagon, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll explained to Defense News that individuals frequently grapple with the concept of sunk cost. He said that when people invest heavily in the past, they may make poor choices in the future, both personally and otherwise.
Driscoll said the Booker was designed as a light tank to serve multiple new purposes. “It ended up medium.” I believe the manufacturer didn’t hold it in high regard, but we, the Army’s customers, had an important part in creating “Frankenstein.”
Got it wrong,” Driscoll
Historically, the Army would have continued to acquire it despite its lack of enthusiasm, Driscoll said. “We would have just made it work.” However, the Army is currently trying to adopt the program. “Got it wrong,” Driscoll said”
A review of previous service budget documents revealed that the Army planned to spend more than $4 billion on the program. The service would have purchased between 362 and 504 systems.
The original estimates for research and development costs early in the program were in the $1 billion range, but because the Army decided to award a low-rate production contract to General Dynamics Land Systems sooner than planned after a rapid prototyping competition with BAE Systems, both of which delivered several vehicles for soldier testing, the total R&D cost ended up between $349 million and $460 million, according to budget documents.
The Army has so far spent at least $1 billion on M10 Bookers. Booker turrets are built at GDLS’ Lima, Ohio plant, while hulls are built in Saginaw, Michigan. Final assembly takes place at Anniston Army Depot in Alabama.
33 vehicles in FY25
The cost assessment does not include any extra costs that might come from a separate plan to get a new recovery vehicle that works with the M10 Booker.
According to the most recent budget documents, the Army ordered 84 vehicles between fiscal years 2022 and 2024. The Army planned to order an additional 33 vehicles in FY25. The low-rate initial production order totalled 96 vehicles.
According to a paradoxical Army spokesperson, the service will not abruptly halt low-rate production. “There are a number of M10 Bookers that are currently in the final stages of production that will be accepted by the Army,” the spokesperson told Defence News.
The spokesperson confirmed that the Army currently possesses 26 Booker production vehicles. The Army will determine the final number of M10 Bookers once it accepts those in the final stages of completion.
Conclusion
People often describe the Army as slow in acquisitions, yet it advanced the Mobile Protected Firepower Program unusually fast. As a result, both GDLS and BAE Systems submitted mature designs based on existing, proven chassis.
Impressively, each company delivered prototypes just 14 months after receiving the contract. This pace allowed soldiers plenty of time to test and evaluate both options in real conditions.
Meanwhile, the Army plans to redirect remaining funds in the 2025 budget toward faster delivery of key systems.
According to a press release, they expect significant savings within the next 18 to 24 months. “The ongoing contract termination process will ultimately determine the disposition of the remaining assets,” according to the Army.
References
- Defense News – M10 Booker Termination – defensenews.com/m10booker
- General Dynamics – M10 Booker – gdls.com/m10booker
- CRS – MPF Program Background – crsreports.congress.gov/mpf
- Brookings—H.R. McMaster on Army Modernisation – brookings.edu/mcmaster
- Anniston Army Depot – Vehicle Assembly – army.mil/anniston
- DoD – Lima Army Tank Plant – defense.gov/lima
- U.S. Army – Budget & Weapons Reports – asafm.army.mil/budget
- Army Acquisition Strategy – asc.army.mil
