"The historic task of light tanks has been to perform reconnaissance functions. "This is a combat vehicle," he said, answering a question from a reporter during the briefing. Meanwhile, while the Booker Combat Vehicle may resemble something between a BMP and a smaller Abrams, Dean wanted to be clear about a question he felt certain would receive ample airtime online and in person. And the new battalion of M10s will accompany a new infantry unit being stood up, though the details of where and when have yet to be decided. Planners expect a full battalion of 42 Booker Combat Vehicles by late 2025, and hope to ultimately field more than 500 M10s.Īt a time when the Army is fielding a new squad vehicle to increase mobility, the addition of a battalion of heavily armed and armored vehicles that brigades can draw on for extra power will be welcome. Vehicle production began early in 2023, and the Army expects the first delivery in 2024.
Once production is at full capacity, the Army expects to produce three new M10s per month. The turret will be manufactured in Ohio and the hulls in Michigan, and it will be assembled in Alabama. "The amount of ammunition provided to Ukraine has not had any effect on this program," he said. A problem in which toxic gas would fill the turret after the main gun was fired "is an issue that is behind us," and another where the vehicle would overheat under hot performance conditions was resolved after engineers fixed an air flow problem at the rear of the M10.īush dispelled another rumor: That a shortage of 105mm shells was the result of ammunition being sent to Ukraine. It wasn't without developmental issues, though Bush assured reporters that the worst issues have been resolved. With a 105mm main gun and an armored chassis reminiscent of the Soviet BMP-2, famed for being nearly impregnable from the front, the Booker is designed to give infantry hung up on fortifications the punch needed to break through any obstacle or position. The nature of both soldiers' valor - killed during violent infantry combat, one alongside an Abrams, one as a dismount - underscores the need for a vehicle like the Booker. The Booker Combat Vehicle is also named for Robert Booker, who was awarded the Medal of Honor after being killed in action while under heavy machine-gun fire in Tunisia on April 9, 1943, during World War II. Booker, who was with an Abrams tank, was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
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