Mobile Protected Firepower

Mobile Protected Firepower, based on the General Dynamics Griffin

The Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) is a U.S. Army program to procure a combat vehicle that is capable of providing mobile, protected, direct fire offensive capability.[1] The projected vehicle has been designated the M10 Booker,[2] and will according to description essentially serve the role of an assault gun.[3] The program is part of the Next Generation Combat Vehicle program.[4]

The MPF vehicle has been called a light tank by some sources,[5] which is incorrect according to some Army officials.[3][6] It will weigh about 42 short tons (38 t).[7] MPF is similar in purpose to the M8 Armored Gun System light tank, the intended replacement for the M551 Sheridan, which the Army canceled due to budget considerations in 1996. The last user of M551 Sheridans, the 3/73rd Armor of the 82nd Airborne Division, was subsequently inactivated starting in 1996.

In 2018 the Army selected bids from General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and BAE Systems—for further evaluation for the MPF requirement. Prototypes of GDLS's Griffin II and BAE's M8 AGS were delivered to the Army beginning in 2020. BAE's submission was disqualified in 2022. The Army selected the GDLS model for initial production later that year. In 2023, the Army type classified the vehicle as the M10 Booker. The Army expects to purchase 504 units.

  1. ^ "The Army's Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) System". Congressional Research Service. 14 December 2021. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Booker naming was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "It's Not a Light Tank: Army Unveils New Armored Combat Vehicle". military.com. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Next Generation Combat Vehicles: As Army Prioritizes Rapid Development, More Attention Needed to Provide Insight on Cost Estimates and Systems Engineering Risks". Government Accountability Office. 6 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Everything to know about the Army's new 38-ton light tank". 9 September 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  6. ^ Kris Osborn (16 July 2022). "Army Says New Mobile Protected Firepower Vehicle is NOT a "Light Tank"". Warior Waven. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Army unveils the M10 Booker, its first new combat vehicle in two decades". stripes.com. Retrieved 13 June 2023.