M10 Booker Undergoing Cold Weather Trials In Alaska

Eyeing a potential future fight in the Arctic, the Army is putting its new light tank-like M10 Booker Combat Vehicle through a series of cold-weather tests at Fort Greely, Alaska. The trials come as the U.S. military seeks to boost its ability to fight in the Arctic, an area of increasing strategic importance.

Soldiers are conducting “primarily reliability testing as well as automotive, systems and firing at extreme cold temperatures,” Ashley John, a spokesperson for the Army’s Next Generation Ground Vehicle Cross-Functional Team told us. The Greely cold-weather trial was prescribed when Booker’s testing plan was approved in Fiscal Year 2022, she added. There is also hot weather testing underway, both of which are normal for major weapons systems like this.

(U.S. Army)

It is unclear when the testing at Greely will conclude, how it performed in the cold or what soldiers using the vehicles think about them. We asked the Army and will update this story with any pertinent details provided. 

The Booker was designed under the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program to fill a capability gap the Army identified after two decades of largely counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. There was little need at the time for a light tank-like vehicle that could bridge the gap between the M-1 Abrams main battle tank and armored vehicles like the Bradley and Stryker. A Stryker Mobile Gun System variant had a 105mm gun, but the Army divested that in 2021 because of problems with its dated cannon and autoloader. That platform was also far less protected than the Booker and its wheels meant it could not navigate rough terrain like the tracked M10 can.

With an MTU 8v199 TE-22, 800 hp diesel engine and an Allison transmission, the Booker can travel at up to about 40 mph. Armed with a 105mm main gun, the vehicles won’t have as much firepower as the Abrams with its 120mm gun. Nor will the Bookers have as much armor to protect them. But they will require much less fuel and a far smaller logistical tail, and they will still be able to deliver a badly needed punch that can destroy armor, bunkers, and fortifications. Perhaps more importantly, they will get to the fight, including arriving at remote locales via airlift, far faster than an Abrams ever could. This could be critical in defending arctic locales during a crisis.

You can learn more about the Booker in our detailed profile video below.  

The Army is planning to buy more than 500 Bookers from General Dynamics Land Systems and have four Booker battalions fielded by 2030, with most of the planned acquisition scheduled to be completed by 2035, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). With a projected price tag of about $13 million a piece, the total package would be about $6.5 billion. The total life-cycle cost of the program, including sustainment, military construction and personnel, is estimated at $17 billion, Defense News reported.

You can read more about the Booker’s capabilities and planned future role in our story here.

The M10 Booker’s 105mm main gun is powerful enough to take on Chinese armor, says an armor expert. (U.S. Army photo)

The Army has previously described operating in the Arctic, where the lowest temperatures can reach between −65 and −50° F, as just being a struggle to survive, let alone fight an enemy. At Fort Greely, winters have an average temperature of -13°F. That drastic climate creates extreme stress on troops and equipment. That played out in 2022 when the Army withdrew a fleet of 8×8 Stryker wheeled vehicles from Alaska in part because of persistent difficulties in keeping them running in cold weather conditions. Those vehicles had been assigned to what is now known as 1st Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks. 

In 2022, the division received BvS10 Beowulf tracked vehicles as its new Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle, or CATV, to help transport troops and equipment. You can read more about how the Army is trying to cope with fighting under frigid conditions in our deep dive here.

Beowulf can carry up to 14 soldiers. (BAE Systems) BAE Systems

For the Army, being able to conduct combat operations in the Arctic is critical. The region has seen renewed strategic attention from the U.S. military for years now. Global climate change has caused the polar ice caps to recede, opening up new access to natural resources and trade routes. This, in turn, has created new geopolitical competition, and the potential for conflict, especially with Russia and China, as a byproduct. President Donald Trump’s keen interest in acquiring Greenland highlights the importance of the Arctic.

Still, there are several challenges when an armor track vehicle operates in the cold. 

“Arctic conditions make starting armored vehicle engines, especially diesel engines, difficult due to battery power loss and potential fuel gelling,” an armor expert familiar with the Booker told us. “Preheating techniques may be necessary, and fuel additives (such as anti-gel treatments) are required to prevent it from thickening up depending if it’s diesel or JP8.”

In addition, “batteries and electronics may have issues due to extreme cold, reducing battery efficiency, affecting vehicle startup, communications systems, and fire control systems,” the expert explained. “Also electrical wiring insulation can become brittle and crack, increasing the risk of malfunctions.”

There can be hydraulic and lubrication issues as well “because arctic temperatures thicken hydraulic fluids and lubricants, slowing turret traverse and gun elevation,” the expert noted. “Also, the oil viscosity changes can reduce engine and transmission efficiency.”

The rubber tracks “may become brittle and more prone to cracking. The track suspension such as torsion bars, and shock absorbers may stiffen, impacting ride quality and performance over rough terrain. Finally, snow and ice buildup in the running gear can cause track slippage and jamming,” according to the expert.

Beyond that, “condensation on the optics, sensors, circuit boards, and other electronics caused by the rapid temperature changes can lead to ice buildups and then lead to malfunctioning.”

Testing armor like this M1 Abrams tank at Fort Greely can find glitches in cold weather operations unimaginable in the desert. (Sebastian Saarloos)

The arctic testing will be important to see whether Booker is suitable for the region beyond just being able to stand up to the elements.

Mobility and smaller logistics trains are two critical requirements for the Arctic, where bases are few and far between, increasing the challenge of keeping vehicles maintained and fueled. At 41 tons, the Booker weighs about 40% less than the Abrams. Smaller in dimensions and having no heavy side skirt, two can be delivered by a single  C-17 Globemaster III, roll out of its cargo bay, and be combat-ready for wherever needed far more rapidly than an Abrams, the expert said. By contrast, only one 70-plus-ton Abrams can fit on a C-17 and they can take days to reach their destination.

The Arctic isn’t the only place where the Army is testing Booker. The vehicles are also undergoing testing at the Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) in Arizona.

“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,” the Army said in a recent media release. “Test vehicles are running across punishing desert road courses, up steep slopes, and through a watery fording basin, sometimes while under a full load.”

“The data we are collecting is for a decision on full rate production next summer,” said Jade Janis, YPG test officer.

The M10 Booker undergoing tests at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. (Mark Shauer)

There is plenty of additional testing planned for these vehicles, as well.

Beyond how it performs in the cold and other trials, Booker faces other challenges.

The war in Ukraine has, in some respects, changed the way armor is looked at on the modern battlefield. In particular, armor has shown itself extremely vulnerable to drones, especially first-person view (FPV) variants. Alterations to existing designs — none of which Booker possesses at this time — have helped harden them against this threat, but even the Abrams remains susceptible to it.

“Given this threat and reported vulnerability, Congress might further explore with the Army-specific M-10 design characteristics and countermeasures intended to address the threat posed by UAS and loitering munitions,” the Congressional Research Service (CRS) suggested in its report on the vehicle last month.

In addition, the Trump administration is eyeing the Pentagon budget and cuts to weapons programs and enhancements to others are sure to be on the horizon. Time will tell whether the Army procures the hundreds of Bookers it wants.

Contact the author: [email protected]