The name Booker honors two soldiers with that surname who lost their lives in combat. Staff Sergeant Steven A. Booker was the commander of an M1 Abrams tank and was killed during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Corporal Robert D. Booker was an infantryman who died in combat in Tunisia during World War II in 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
In June 2023, the US Army selected General Dynamics Land Systems’ proposal for a tracked combat vehicle with a large-caliber gun under the MPF programme. A contract worth $320.3 million was signed for the production of the first batch of 26 vehicles, known as Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP), by October 24, 2024. The contract includes an option for the delivery of an additional 70 M10 tanks, bringing the total contract value to $1.14 billion.
The first battalion set of MPF vehicles (42 in total) is planned to be delivered by the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2025. The US Army aims to commence full-scale production of the M10 tanks by the end of the calendar year 2025. The production models will be heavier than the demonstrators and are expected to weigh up to 42 tons, including the active protection system.
