The height of the M10 Booker light tank can reach 3.65 meters, which is a consequence of the use of the ASCOD chassis. According to experts, this height is due to landing comfort and anti-mine protection.
M10 Booker, the newest light tank of the US Army, despite its classification as “not a tank” by the Pentagon, turned out to be quite a large combat vehicle. Despite the weight of 38 tons, which is almost half that of modern Western main battle tanks, its size was surprising. Defense Express writes about it.
Observers have noted that the M10 Booker has been demonstrated many times at various exhibitions, but its true dimensions have not yet been emphasized by either the developer General Dynamics Land Systems or the US Department of Defense.
Meanwhile, a photo recently appeared on the Internet, showing by the US Army Brotherhood of Tankers, which confirmed that the M10 Booker is taller than the M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, which is about 2.4-2.8 meters tall. At the same time, it is noted that the height of the M10 Booker can reach 3.65 meters, which makes it 1.3-1.5 times higher than the Abrams.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000However, the M10 is three meters shorter — its length is 6.85 meters, while the Abrams — 9.83 meters with a gun. For comparison, the height of the M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle is 2.9 meters, and the Stryker wheeled vehicle in the armored personnel carrier version — 2.64 meters.
Thus, the M10 Booker becomes the US Army's tallest combat vehicle intended for use on the battlefield.
The reason for the increased height
The reason for this height is the use of the ASCOD chassis, which is also used for infantry fighting vehicles. For such machines, the height is often determined by the need to provide comfort for the landing party and anti-mine protection. However, the question remains open to what extent this is justified for a light tank.
“Because even the very concept of reducing the silhouette of a tank in order to be less vulnerable may already belong to the times when there were no modern digital fire control systems, auto escort targets, homing heads on ATGMs, and machine vision on kamikaze drones did not take its first steps”, — observers concluded.