US Army to field XM17 from November
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.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![Thales to modernise Netherlands TACTIS combined arms trainer]()
Thales to modernise Netherlands TACTIS combined arms trainer
Thales will modernise the Royal Netherlands Army’s TACTIS simulation system over eight years with enhanced synthetic environments, new simulators for the CV9035NL, Boxer and Leopard 2 tanks.
-
![Hanwha contracted to develop radar for South Korean missile defence]()
Hanwha contracted to develop radar for South Korean missile defence
Hanwha will develop the multi-function radar of the Low Altitude Missile Defense (LAMD), work which is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2028.
-
![Anduril Industries unveils improved electromagnetic warfare system]()
Anduril Industries unveils improved electromagnetic warfare system
Pulsar-L has already entered service and weighs about 12kg with range of 5km. It was only in May last year that the company disclosed that earlier versions were already in service.
-
![Romania approved for additional $280 million Patriot Air Defence System buy]()
Romania approved for additional $280 million Patriot Air Defence System buy
The possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) from the US will cover the system and any related equipment with Lockheed Martin and RTX as primary contractors.
-
![British Army details Ajax plans]()
British Army details Ajax plans
Of the six variants in the Ajax programme – reconnaissance (Ajax), reconnaissance support (Ares), C2 (Athena), equipment repair (Apollo), equipment recovery (Atlas) and engineering reconnaissance (Argus) – the Ajax reconnaissance version is now entering service.
