Modular Handgun System

The XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition was a United States Army and United States Air Force competition for a new service pistol. The Modular Handgun System was solicited by a Request for Proposals in September 2015 and is anticipated to be the next U.S. military standard side arm replacing the Beretta M9 pistol and compact version replace SIG Sauer M11. The U.S. Marine Corps also participated in the program to have input on source selection, but likely will not order the resulting weapon until their current pistols' life-cycles end in the mid-2020s.

The competition was first announced in 2011, but multiple delays pushed the solicitation deadline to February 2016. SIG Sauer's entry was declared the winner on January 19, 2017, with plans to begin fielding before the end of the year. Shortly after, on February 24, 2017, Glock filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office. Additionally, Steyr Arms, Inc of Austria has filed suit against Sig Sauer in U.S. district court for the northern district of Alabama claiming patent infringement.

The SIG Sauer P320 was chosen for both full size and compact pistol versions. It is configurable to receive suppressors and though the 9mm was chosen, it can be adapted to fire larger calibers such as .357 SIG and .40 S&W. All weapons are planned to be delivered in a period of 10 years.

The main reason for the program is the same for when the Colt M1911A1 was replaced by the Beretta M9 previously: the pistols were at the end of their service life and wearing out. All firearms have a finite life cycle. While parts such as the barrel, grips, springs, pins, and others can be replaced, the frame cannot and eventually becomes unserviceable. The M9, in service since the late 1980s, is approaching this limit. Examples in service are showing signs of terminal wear, and rather than replacing them with newly built M9s, the Army decided to opt for a new weapon to address design weaknesses. Special Forces use pistols more often and reach the end of the M9's service life relatively quickly, and regular troops are also reaching their handguns' lifecycle end through sheer age. Special operators have opted for other side arms like the SIG Sauer P226 and P228 (Navy SEALs) as well as the Glock 19 (Army Rangers) and Glock 22 (Delta Force). Conventional soldiers have problems with M9 features, or perceived lack thereof, including no accessory rail or suppressor attachment, an ergonomically poor grip, a heavy trigger pull, poor safety selector placement, and an open slide that lets in debris and can cause a malfunction.

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