I know there are a couple former tankers in here. Perhaps a few current ones? Are you aware of the new M10 Booker? Any thoughts? Not sure if it has been discussed here before.
It will be crewed by the 19 series MOS.OldArmyCT said:
A heavy Sheridan? Who's going to crew it, 11B's or tankers?
I think it makes operational sense. The promotion cycle for a mechanized vs light infantry NCO was different because to promote in the mechanized world you had to learn the Bradley where as in the light world you were focused on being an infantry squad leader. An E5 in a light unit is trying to get a Ranger school slot, mastering the dismounted weapon systems, etc. An E5 in a mechanized unit is doing that but also learning maintenance schedules/PMCS and spending time in the motor pool let alone learning gunnery on the Bradley's chaingun.74OA said:
Short on infantry to fill crews or does the switch just make operational sense?
After 73 Easting I always wondered why this wasn't the case.clarythedrill said:It will be crewed by the 19 series MOS.OldArmyCT said:
A heavy Sheridan? Who's going to crew it, 11B's or tankers?
Also, the Army is going to start putting 19 series guys on bradleys as the crew. The dismounts will still be Infantrymen of course, but the vehicle crew will be Armor dudes.
Operational all the way. Grunts have an aversion to maintaining anything bigger than an M4, so putting a tanker, who is used to the amount of maintenance an M1A2 takes, on an M2 just makes sense. Also, tankers value gunnery skills more than their infantry counterpart, so over all it seems like a good idea.74OA said:
Short on infantry to fill crews or does the switch just make operational sense?
The turret is a scaled-down version of the Abrams turret, with a 105mm gun. The chassis and automotives are derived from the GDLS Griffen II.stallion6 said:
It is a primarily Abrams turret with a mixed Abrams, Bradley, and Stryker component suspension system. In short it is a tank. I understand the current army plan will be to issue to infantry divisions but that is still 12-18 months from fielding/training.
The AMX weighs between15-22 tons depending on model, while the baseline Booker weighs 38-42 tons. It's a considerably heavier armored vehicle than the AMX. Booker is designed to accept add-on armor plates and reactive armor tiles. It may also get some version of the Army's new Modular Active Protection System (MAPS).AgLA06 said:
I get the concept, but French AMX-10s have been all but neutralized to artillery in Ukraine because the armor is too then and not survivable from RPGs let alone MANPATs and artillery. Hoping the Booker isn't a similar problem.