https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated July 1, 2024
The Army’s M-10 Booker (Formerly Known as Mobile
Protected Firepower [MPF]) System
What Is the Mobile Protected Firepower
(MPF) System?
The Army’s MPF system is intended to address an
operational shortfall in infantry units:
Currently the Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat
Teams (IBCT) do not have a combat vehicle
assigned that is capable of providing mobile,
protected, direct, offensive fire capability.... The
MPF solution is an integration of existing mature
technologies and components that avoids
development which would lengthen the program
schedule.
Operationally, the Army wants the MPF to be able to
[n]eutralize enemy prepared positions and bunkers
and defeat heavy machine guns and armored
vehicle threats during offensive operations or when
conducting defensive operations against attacking
enemies.
In terms of the Army’s overall procurement plans for MPF,
[t]he Army Acquisition Objective (AAO) for MPF
is 504 vehicles, with 14 MPFs per IBCT. The
targeted fielding for the First Unit Equipped (FUE)
is Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.
MPF Redesignated as the M-10 Booker
On June 14, 2023, the Army announced the redesignation
of the MPF as the M-10 Booker infantry assault vehicle.
According to the Army,
The vehicle platform honors two enlisted Army
soldiers who served our nation selflessly during
times of great conflict – Medal of Honor recipient
Private. Robert D. Booker, who perished in World
War II, and Distinguished Service Cross recipient
Staff Sergeant Stevon A. Booker, who died from
injuries sustained in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
M-10 Acquisition Strategy
In November 2017, the Army issued a Request for Proposal
(RFP) for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development
(EMD) phase and, in order to maximize competition,
planned to award up to two Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA)
contracts for the EMD phase in early FY2019.
Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) according to the Defense
Acquisition University is a rapid acquisition approach that
focuses on delivering capability in a period of 2 to 5 years. The
authority to use MTA was granted by Congress in Section 804
of the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
(P.L. 114-92). Programs using MTA are not subject to the Joint
Capabilities Integration Development System (JCIDS) and
provisions of Department of Defense (DOD) Directive
5000.01 “Defense Acquisition System.” MTA consists of
utilizing two acquisition pathways: (1) Rapid Prototyping,
which is to streamline the testing and development of
prototypes, and (2) Rapid Fielding, which is to upgrade existing
systems with already proven technologies.
On December 17, 2018, the Army awarded two Section 804
MTA Rapid Prototyping contracts for MPF. The two
companies awarded contracts were General Dynamic Land
Systems (GDLS), Inc. (Sterling Heights, MI) and BAE
Systems Land and Armaments, LP (Sterling Heights, MI).
Each MTA Rapid Prototyping contract was not to exceed
$376 million. The MTA Rapid Prototyping contracts
required delivery of 12 preproduction vehicles (from each
vendor) for developmental and operational testing, and a
Soldier Vehicle Assessment (SVA).
M-10 Program Status
The SVA reportedly began in January 2021 at Ft. Liberty,
NC—without the BAE prototypes because of production
challenges—with testing running through June 2021. While
BAE was unable to provide prototypes at the beginning of
testing, prototypes were eventually provided to the Army
for testing. During the assessment, soldiers evaluated
GDLS and BAE M-10 prototypes in a variety of operational
scenarios.
MPF Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP)
Contract Awarded
On June 28, 2022, the Army announced the award of a
$1.14 billion contract to GDLS for the production and
fielding of up to 96 M-10 systems (Figure 1). Delivery of
the first LRIP M-10 system was expected in 19 months, and
Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation was planned for
the end of FY2024. The first unit equipped is scheduled for
the fourth quarter of FY2025, consisting of a battalion of 42
M-10s. Each LRIP M-10 system is expected to cost about
$12.8 million. Full-Rate Production M-10 systems are
expected to cost less than LRIP variants and may include
modifications based on Operational Testing and Evaluation
results.
Future M-10 Fielding
The Army’s M-10 acquisition objective is for 504 systems
for the active Army and National Guard, with Army
