Recent reports have stated that the U.S. Army has applied for budget approval to begin mass production of the M10 Buck lightweight tank. According to the plan, the U.S. Army is set to acquire 504 M10 tanks by 2035, with the delivery of approximately 42 M10s to the first battalion-level unit expected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of the 2025 fiscal year.
Lightweight tanks were popular from World War II through the 1970s but had the disadvantage of thin armor, resulting in lower survivability against increasingly advanced anti-tank weapons. Coupled with the emergence of infantry fighting vehicles, lightweight tanks fell out of favor for a period. However, countries like the Soviet Union/Russia and China have continued to maintain lightweight tanks, primarily for airborne troops and amphibious operations. Recently, there has been a renewed global emphasis on lightweight tanks, with China introducing the Type 15, India developing the Zalvar light tank, the U.S. opting for the M10 Buck, Russia showcasing the 2S25M1, and the Bayi System presenting the CV-90-120T lightweight tank.
The “light” designation of lightweight tanks is primarily in comparison to main battle tanks of the same era. Modern lightweight tanks now have combat weights that meet or exceed the standards of medium or even main battle tanks of the past, boasting similar or close to the firepower capabilities of current main battle tanks and capable of carrying out certain battlefield assault missions.
The combat weight of the M10 Buck reaches 42 tons, comparable to the T-72 main battle tank. Like the Chinese Type 15 and the Indian Zalvar, it is equipped with a 105mm caliber rifled gun and utilizes the same fire control system as the country’s main battle tanks. The CV-90-120T lightweight tank introduced by Sweden reaches a combat weight close to 40 tons at its maximum, featuring a 120mm caliber smoothbore gun used by the Leopard 2 main battle tank. The 2S25M1 amphibious lightweight tank also incorporates a 125mm caliber smoothbore gun similar to the one used in the T-90M main battle tank.
video content:
[Mark Space-Time] Clean World Channel:
https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/QbjYDNxOJB
[Mark Space-Time] Facebook Fan Page:
https://www.facebook.com/Mark-Space-Time
[Mark Space-Time]
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/markspace5/
[Mark Space-Time] Telegram Group:
https://t.me/markspacechannel
[Mark Space-Time] Program Production Team