When is a tank not a tank? It cannot be denied the American M10 Booker is an imposing vehicle on the battlefield. This 42-ton beast is armed with a lethal 105-millimeter M35 tank gun that can shred through concrete fortifications to clear the way for the infantry and tear apart enemy armored vehicles, including main battle tanks that lack sufficient armor to resist the impact of its gun.

But the M10 is supposedly a mere “Mobile Protected Firepower platform.” Armed with two heavy machine guns, it is designed to support soldiers as they make their way through urban environments where danger lurks around every corner or window.

Although some generals have referred to it as a light tank, the Army still officially denies the term… perhaps because the M10 Booker is about to be sent on missions a tank has never been used for before…