no one has a comment about the M10 Booker?
The M10 Booker busted its requirements from the beginning. It’s a case study in how Army procurement wants to change.
www.defenseone.com
The US Army's M10 Booker armored vehicle program is criticized as a prime example of a flawed requirements process.
www.19fortyfive.com
The Army has been farting around with the idea of a light tank for decades. Armored warfare has since made them obsolete due to great advances in engine/powertrain technologies.
Back in ww2 you had to sacrifice combat durability for speed. Now not so much. Plus, light armor is kind of an oxymoron due to modern armor tactics. If you have a lightly armored vehicle with a big gun capable of taking on a MBT then the commander is inclined to charge into battle, which is foolish. The Aussies did just that in the beginning of Vietnam with the M113 (which was terrible as an APC) Armored cars seem to be the logical step, but as soon as develop one that fits the role, or more accurately overbuilds, it see the Striker - too big, too heavy, and mediocre in all categories because it's trying to fill too many roles, the Army HC tries to use them as armor or MBT support which they are just not designed to do, and failure results.
Light armor is for light infantry, ie Airborne units which need an easily transportable armored vehicle which can deliver medium to heavy weapons to destroy fortifications. What they always end up with is something like the M10. Too heavy, too big and too complex for extended field maneuvers.
However, the introduction and use of suicide drones and them being very inexpensive in comparison to what was previously used, US made monstrosities, for the price of one US Reaper drone, a nation can buy oodles of cardboard bodied suicide drones and achieve better results without worrying about the cost of "wasting" one on "too small a target." Plus, if a Reaper drone is shot down, it's a serious loss of an asset, since kamikaze drones are made to be destroyed and they are far greater in number to begin with, a loss of even a twenty fold is not a serious matter and doesn't really hinder operations.
Light armor
en.m.wikipedia.org
