The requirement for the new pistol originated with the MHS program initiated by the
Air Force in 2008. It has received
Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) validation. The MHS program was to select a
Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) handgun in fiscal year (FY) 2011–2012. Testing was to be completed by FY2013 and type classification was expected in FY2014. A
Request for Proposals (RFP) was expected to be issued in January 2014. The Army plans to buy 265,000 new pistols. The MHS competition was planned to be launched in January 2015 with the release of a final solicitation. Some 280,000 standard pistols will be ordered, as well as 7,000 compact versions, with deliveries to begin in 2017. Other military services participating in the program may order an additional 212,000 systems. Previously held industry days allowed interested companies to suggest ways and ideas that the Army can improve the plan and process, some of which were adopted into the program. Test firings in simulated combat scenarios will be performed by over 550 military personnel from all services to provide feedback on the performance of each candidate system. In December 2014,
Beretta announced the
M9A3, which was submitted via an Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) in accordance with the terms of the current M9 contract. A modified version of the existing
M9A1, the new model features a thinner grip,
MIL-STD-1913 accessory rail, removable tritium sights, threaded barrel, and a sand-resistant 17-round magazine, produced in a dark earth tone color. Beretta claims likely cost savings over the standard M9 model and meeting almost all of the enhanced handgun requirements. Later that month, the Army decided not to evaluate the M9A3 in favor of pursuing the MHS program, without asking any questions about the upgraded pistol or requesting a sample. Army weapons officials maintain that the M9 design does not meet requirements and a cost-benefit analysis determined the old fleet would cost more to replace and repair than buying a new service pistol. Beretta claims M9A3 upgrade features fix most of the complaints and could be sold for less than the cost of previous M9 versions; the company has suggested a dual-path strategy to evaluate commercially available options while simultaneously evaluating improvements.
Request for proposal The Army delayed the MHS RFP until after January 2015 "to allow for improvements to the RFP as a result of feedback received from Industry;" the second draft solicitation for the XM17 was released on 8 June 2015 following the Defense Department's decision to allow use of special purpose ammunition. Testing of three versions was planned to be conducted through 2017. Full-Rate Production would begin in 2018, with 280,000 standard pistols M17 for the Army (replacing the
Beretta M9), 212,000 for other services, and 7,000 compact M18 versions for soldiers (replacing the
SIG Sauer M11). In a departure from an over one century old battlefield practice, a legal review from the Pentagon has allowed the Army to consider expanding and fragmenting ammunition, such as
hollow-point bullets, for the XM17. Though not a signatory to the
1899 Hague Convention that barred bullets with exposed lead tips, or expanding rounds on the battlefield, the U.S. has generally observed the agreement, although it has reserved the right to use the bullet type "where it saw a need," such as
United States Army Criminal Investigation Command,
Military Police, and
Special Forces. The Army claims expanding use to regular troops supports the international law principles of preventing excessive collateral effects, since expanding bullets transfer most of their energy into a target and usually do not pass through a body, and that legal standards have changed since the convention in an era of
asymmetric warfare. Some complaints about the M9 involve its 9mm
full metal jacket (FMJ) round having insufficient stopping power, so a move to expanding bullets could allow more lethality without switching to a different caliber. Army Contracting Command released the official MHS RFP on 28 August 2015. The maximum program value of the XM17 contract could be worth up to $580 million. The competition was open caliber to allow submissions chambered in larger rounds; the solicitation does not specifically mention expanding bullet use, but it also does not prohibit it. Each manufacturer can submit two gun/ammunition combinations if they are differing calibers. Interested vendors had until late January 2016 to submit bids, one year after the RFP was originally planned to be released.
Competitors Twelve pistols were entered into the competition: • :
Beretta APX chambered in
9mm NATO and
.40 S&W. • :
Glock 17 MHS and
19 MHS chambered in
9mm NATO, and the
Glock 22 MHS and
23 MHS chambered in
.40 S&W, respectively. • :
SIG Sauer P320 MHS, a variant of the
P320. • : STI and
Detonics Defense STX.
Sturm, Ruger & Co. designed a pistol series, the
Ruger American Pistol, based on the specifications of the MHS, but ultimately declined to formally submit any variant of it for consideration. A
down-selection to three weapon systems was expected to be made in August 2016, leading the way into a nine-month Production Verification Test (PVT) program. Following the successful conclusion of the PVT, a preferred bidder was intended to be selected ahead of
low-rate initial production and first deliveries to U.S. armed forces.
MHS contract awarded to SIG Sauer The
Army Times reported on January 19, 2017, that the contract for the new US handgun had been awarded to
SIG Sauer Inc. on January 18, 2017. Several news sources at the 2017
Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, as well as SIG Sauer, stated that the
SIG Sauer P320 had been selected as the winner of the $580 million contract, for both full-sized
M17 and compact
M18 models. The 9 mm version of the pistol was chosen, with the contract allowing the government to purchase XM1152 FMJ and XM1153 Special Purpose (SP) ammunition and training rounds. Fielding was completed in FY202. == Controversy and legal issues ==