FEBRUARY 13, 2025 – U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) is currently testing the M10 Booker, one of the Army’s top modernization priorities.
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.
“The data we are collecting is for a decision on full rate production next summer,” said Jade Janis, YPG test officer.
The vehicle originally underwent competition testing of prototypes here in 2020, with Janis serving as test officer on the entrant that was ultimately selected.
“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.
Though it is not a tank, some aspects of the M10 are familiar to experienced tankers.
“There are a lot of similarities to an Abrams as far as the turret is concerned,” said Janis. “The hull itself is all new.”
In addition to test firing the armaments in both the natural environment and from a cold chamber, the platform is being subjected to a full complement of performance and reliability, accessibility, and maintainability testing. Test vehicles are running across punishing desert road courses, up steep slopes and through a watery fording basin, sometimes while under a full load.
“Aside from being a totally new platform, there is nothing out of the ordinary for us in the way we test things,” said Janis. “Everything should be standard practice so far as testing is concerned.”
Nonetheless, the personnel supporting the testing, from drivers to gunners to data collectors, had to undergo familiarization training on the platform prior to the beginning of testing. Numbered among these were personnel from Arctic Regions Test Center (ARTC), YPG’s cold weather-testing facility at Fort Greely, Alaska, where the M10 is also undergoing performance testing during the coldest winter months. Additionally, some of the personnel supporting the Yuma Test Center portion of the testing traveled to ARTC during that portion of the testing.
Story by Mark Schauer
U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground