A nice looking M8 in Dubois WY.
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I think the “Beat up” one at Ft. Moore is getting restored and added to the museum there.
Yes, but the US Army currently doesn’t do LAPES with the C-17. It could be done as the C-17 is rated up to 60 tons for LAPES, but is currently not part of our doctrine due to a lot of accidents and deaths due to attempting LAPES and we currently don’t see a need as we expect to be able to secure forward airfields.
You can see from this old video filmed at Ft. Bragg, that the plane went in too steep on the angle, unable to correct; the plane slammed into the tarmac, then skidded down the DZ, crashing. three crewmember and one soldier on the ground died in this incident.
Technically anything is, but the trick is surviving the landing! No, the M10 isn’t meant to be pulled from a passing cargo plane, unlike the M551 that was sorta kinda meant to be droppable if you didn’t mind flipping a coin…
The M551 Sheridan was designed to be mainly amphibious, but it was light enough to be air-droppable. It had a weight of only 16 tons. (M-551 TTS), versus the M10 which tips the scales at 38-42 tons, which is just as heavy as an M4 Sherman.
I want one when is it due out?
Zimi models has the BAe M1302 listed as a future release
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I’d build that one if it comes available.
the M1302?
I got my M1A2 SEP V.3 today the M10 Booker will be a nice compliment to it now all we need is the AMVP series
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Yep! Looks beefier IMO than the M10. Look at my previous post, where I posted pics of the M8, the XM1302 and the M10.
Imagine a “what if” with the XM1302 painted in 3-color NATO with 82nd Airborne markings or in British Army markings for… Oh, I dunno, Queen’s Own Royal Lancers, or the King’s Royal Hussars.
I seen that
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I think there are stories written about the competition between the BAE M8 AGS and the GDLS’s M10 Booker MPF.
GDLS won because I think BAE wanted the M8 to still fit inside the C-130 and thus it was very cramped for a MPF…and it needed to have bolt-on armor added. In a crisis situation with RO/RO off the cargo plane, I don’t think the US Army wants to spend the time to add bolt-on armor. Thus, the M8 AGS was lighter than the M10 Booker.
Also, I believe that GDLS was more prepared than the BAE’s M8 AGS for the tests.
This is all from memory so I may be wrong here.
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So, another 105mm gun like the original M1 and the Stryker MGS, both of which are gone. I’m kinda missing the logic of this machine. Looks cool and I want the model because Rule of Cool, I’m just not sold on the real thing.
The whole point is to provide light infantry units with more firepower without dealing with big, mechanized infantry issues. The reason the M1128 MGS was put to pasture was, among others, the main gun system was a separate compartment from the rest of the crew, so any stoppages had to be fixed outside of the vehicle; also, the vehicle itself suffered from reliability issues especially with the autoloader of the main gun.
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Okay, I can see that. But I don’t recall the Sheridan being a beloved infantry support vehicle (though it certainly served a good long time). I can’t help but feel the Booker is going to end up being too big for what the transport folks (and the infantry guys) want and too small to be of any use against armed enemies if not buildings. I hope I’m wrong.
The Sheridan was phased out of active service right after Vietnam with only the 82nd using them all the way into Desert Storm. That’s when the M8 Armored Gun System program started. The 2nd ACR was also looking into the M8 AGS but decided to go with the M3 Bradley CFV instead.
Great story just published on TheWarZone describing how the M10 Booker will be used.
https://www.twz.com/land/how-the-armys-new-m10-booker-light-tank-will-actually-be-used
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The Stryker Brigade Combat Team just has soldiers’ small arms, Javelin ATGMs, and .50cal or 40mm automatic grenade launchers on CROWS II mounts…limited firepower for an infantry brigade on 8x8 Strykers (not including the FMTVs, HMMWVs, and JLTVs and other tactical trucks).
Hence the call for 30mm Dragoon Strykers with a Kongsberg remote weapon station for added punch. The Kongsberg RWS doesn’t interfere with the nine-soldier infantry squad. The US Army wanted nine soldiers in the Stryker and hence it didn’t have the 25mm turret like the LAV GEN 3 or USMC LAV-25 because the 25mm autocannon turret basket sits in the hull and doesn’t allow for nine soldiers to fit in the passenger compartment.
Thus, the poor firepower of CROWS II (before CROWS-Javelin) and before 30mm Dragoon necessitates the need for the 105mm Mobile Protected Firepower (winner: M10 Booker Combat Vehicle) to provide better armor protection and to break through resistance that 40mm grenades and 12.7mm bullets cannot. Javelin ATGM can be used as a bunker-buster, but it’s heavy and expensive to transport via foot. Now Dragoon and IM-SHORAD Air Defense Strykers can use their 30mm as well. TOW can be used as a bunker-buster as well, but most times TOW ATGMs are reserved for the anti-tank HMMWV section.
Also, the 82nd will be riding in HMMWVs, JLTVs, and open and unarmored Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISV). While GM Defense has an ISV guntruck variant, there is no indication that the US Army will make the ISV into a FAV, and that is not the primary role of the ISV to begin with.
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I emailed HobbyEasy and they said that there is no news on this release just yet.
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