Army terminates $1B M10 Booker tank program before full-rate production

The US Army has officially terminated the M10 Booker, a light tank program developed at a cost of more than $1 billion, reversing course just as the vehicle was set to enter full-rate production. The decision, announced 11 June 2025, marks a dramatic pivot from what was slated to be the Army’s first new combat vehicle in four decades, as reported by Defense News.

The M10 Booker originated from the Army’s efforts to bolster lethality in its infantry formations, following detailed analysis led by Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. The Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) initiative envisioned a nimble, air-transportable light tank to defeat enemy machine guns and light armor. As requirements evolved, however, the vehicle grew heavier and less suited for air drop, becoming, in the words of Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, a “Frankenstein” caught between competing goals.

Driscoll acknowledged that, historically, the Army may have pressed ahead due to the sunk cost fallacy. “We would have just made it work,” Driscoll told Defense News. “But the service is now trying to accept it got it wrong.”

Despite plans to spend more than $4 billion on up to 504 M10 Bookers, procurement will halt after low-rate initial production. So far, the Army has accepted 26 units, with additional vehicles nearing completion. The M10’s contractors span several states, with General Dynamics handling turret assembly in Ohio, hull production in Michigan, and final assembly at Alabama’s Anniston Army Depot.

The Army intends to redirect remaining funds from the Booker program toward more adaptable and effective “war-winning capabilities.” The final fate of as-yet-unfinished vehicles will be determined as contract termination processes unfold.