Can NATO’s CUAS marketplace turn urgent demand into deliveries?
Framework contracts and leasing options aim to shorten acquisition timelines, while manufacturing partnerships could help suppliers scale production to meet allied demand.
US Army fields new MHS
The US Army began fielding M17 and M18 modular handgun systems (MHS) to the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood in December 2018 to replace its ageing Beretta M9, which has been in use since the mid-1980s.
Produced by Sig Sauer, the M17 and M18 are modernised 9mm pistols featuring a longer lifespan, an integrated rail system and self-illuminating sights.
The new MHS has modular grips, which come in small, medium and large that allow for the pistol to be modified to the individual shooter. Its consistent trigger in conjunction with the modular grips is said to improve overall accuracy.
The army’s current Beretta M9s break more often, which causes readiness issues for the soldiers. To eliminate such issues, every MHS is test fired before leaving the factory with 13 rounds -- three to break in the weapon and ten to test accuracy. Each MHS must hit ten out of ten at 25m in a smaller than three-inch group attesting to the gun’s accuracy level.
To date, the school has only received a few hundred of these systems, but is expecting to receive approximately 1,400.
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