The US Army will begin fielding the new Sig Sauer XM17 Modular Handgun to soldiers in November 2017, it was announced on 21 July.
The US Army's 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is to be the first unit to receive the new handgun, following the completion of testing over the spring at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The pistol is replacing the Beretta M9, which came into service in 1986.
101 Airborne is scheduled to receive about 2,000 pistols in November, with the roll out to the rest of the army to take place over a ten-year period.
The US Army's version of the Sig Sauer P320, the weapon will come in two variants - the XM17 and XM18. The weapon features improved durability and adjustability over the M9, along with interchangeable grips, external safety and self-illuminating sight.
Sig Sauer won the $580 million contract for the weapons in January after winning the army and air force's XM17 Modular Handgun Competition. The army will continue to use 9mm rounds with the gun and has sub-contracted Winchester for the ammunition.
The new artillery and howitzer factory pre-dates the emphasis on this capability from this month’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR). The first joint industry-government meeting outlined in the review took place this week.
Romania received its first Cobra MkII 4×4 light tactical armoured vehicles, ordered Abrams main battle tanks (MBTs) and VAMTAC light vehicles, and is set to invest billions-of-dollars in infantry fighting vehicles.
The Italian Army operates Pumas in 6×6 and 4×4 configurations but the platforms are ageing and numbers have fallen with obsolescence also being an issue. Any replacement is likely to have a focus on the involvement of local industry.
The VAMTAC (Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical Vehicle) 4×4 by Urovesa is in service with or has been ordered by eight countries, the most recent being Spain this month and Romania last month.
Lockheed Martin’s Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is a next-generation surface-to-surface missile with the solid rocket motor (SRM) provided by Northrop Grumman. The company is working to boost its SRM production capability.
The CV90 is in service with or ordered by ten countries. The agreement between six of these countries is designed to create commonality to provide economies of scale and a reduced training burden.
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