By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The Army’s M9 Beretta pistol has been operating with the US Army for many years and continues to arm soldiers today, yet despite it longevity, the service ultimately decided to acquire a new Modular Handgun System instead of again upgrading the Beretta.
The Beretta’s combat performance, however, has been highly praised by US Army soldiers and the Army has purchased more than 600,000 M9s.
The M9 has for years been well-liked the US Army and is defined by multiple sources as a “short recoil, semi-automatic, single action/double-action pistol that uses a 15-round staggered box magazine with a reversible magazine release button.”
While still in service today, the Beretta first emerged in the mid-80s and has matured into a more modern variant called M9A3 Beretta. The details of enhancements built into the Beretta M9A3 are described in great detail in an essay by Kyle Mizokami in Warrior Maven, The National Interest and Popular Mechanics from 2019.
“The A3’s barrel is still partially visible along the top of the frame, and the barrel has been increased slightly, to five inches. The barrel tip is threaded for use with a suppressor, and in the absence of a suppressor, a knurled knob can be screwed on to protect the barrel threads. The A3 also features tritium sights for low light shooting, and a three point Picatinny rail underneath the barrel for aiming lasers and flashlights,” Mizokami writes.
Most recently, the Army has worked with Beretta to produce the new M9A4 Beretta which incorporates even more upgrade such as an 18-round magazine, red-dot optic compatible slide, dovetailed tritium night sights, enhanced short reset Xtreme Trigger System and texturized Vertec-style thin grips, according to data from Beretta.
The success of the Beretta and its many upgrades has evolved in recent years into the the Army’s new Modular Handgun Program, resulting in the service’s choice to acquire the XM17 and XM18. The Army is now acquiring thousands of full-size XM17 and compact XM18 versions of the new 9mm pistol. The XM17 fires 147 grain jacketed hollow point ammunition.
Technological upgrades to the Beretta and enhancements woven into the new SM17 and XM18 are designed to adjust to and support the strengthening and maturation of tactics.
When it comes to fast-evolving tactics now used in close-quarter combat, something with which Army soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan now have more than a decade of experience, an ability to maneuver with increased lethality in caves, tunnels, crawl spaces, attics or buildings allows soldiers to access life-impacting firepower more effectively – especially in “tight quarters” situations where a longer, larger rifle may not be available.
Fast emerging targets and quick-changing circumstances, fundamental to close-quarter combat, naturally require rapid decision making and on-the spot flexibility amid military confrontation. Requirements and technical improvements with the M17 were specifically designed with this in mind, Army developers emphasized.
The new handguns are built with an external safety, self-illuminating sights for low-light conditions, an integrated rail for attaching enablers and an Army standard suppressor conversion kit to attach an acoustic/flash suppressor, service developers said.
XM-17 Handgun arrives
After years of testing, development, and collaborative work with the Air Force, the Army chose SIG SAUER’s large M17 and combat M18 (also known as the X-17 and X-18) to be its Army Modular Handgun System.
The MHS program, in development for many years, was an extensive effort to develop a future replacement for the Army’s M9 Beretta and SIG Sauer M11.
The new weapons were identified as “modular” by design, meaning they were built to be adjusted and upgraded as needed over time. For example, the guns were configured to receive suppressors as adaptations moving into future development.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University. Portions of This was originally posted on 19FortyFive.com as part of a syndication agreement to publish their content. You can find more of their content at 1945
