#MHS

As we reported last week SIG Sauer are about to release versions of their government-adopted M17 ato the civilian market, however, only one of these will be identical to the US Ary’s Modular Handgun spec, complete with manual safety. Just 5,000 of these authentically government-marked M17s will be made available. An additional M17 Collectors Case will also be offered separately.

An image of the sidearm that has replaced the Beretta M9 in U.S. Army service has recently surfaced through DOD media outlets. The image is of a soldier from the “Brave Rifles” 3rd Cavalry Regiment that is currently deployed to Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq and Syria. The image caption states that the photograph was taken near the “Iraqi-Syrian Border”. The regiment replaced the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division that was previously in theater, deploying sometime between April and June of this year. A photograph also on DVIDs shows that the 3rd Cav conducted a transfer of authority (RIP-TOA) on May 28th of this year in Baghdad. Without further news or publicly available photographs, it would appear that this is the first large-scale operational deployment of the M17 MHS handgun within a conventional unit (or not, read on below as the 101st might have the 3rd Cav beat by a month). Apparently, the unit received the M17 MHS in January of this year or at least began qualifying with it at Fort Hood, home to the regiment.

The US Navy and Air Force have confirmed their adoption of the compact variant of the US Army’s new pistol, the Modular Handgun System.

The commander of the Marine Corps Systems Command has explained why the Corps is going to adopt the Army’s M17/M18 Modular Handgun System.

The US Marine Corps is set to replace its M9s with 35,000 Modular Handgun System pistols, budgeting over $6 million for the procurement. Since the US army’s  adoption of the XM17/18 in January 2017, there has been much speculation around if and when the other services would follow. It seems the Marine Corps will be the first.

A new report from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) has revealed that the US Army’s new pistol, the XM17/XM18 Modular Handgun System has suffered from a number of failures during testing.

In today’s episode, we follow Miles to Shot Show 2018 and visit the Safariland booth to look at some new holster offerings for 2018.

Two important decisions by the Army have stood out among the recent news of the M17 handgun starting to replace M9s throughout armories service-wide. First, is the news that within the Army Infantry, the handguns will be issued down to team leaders. Second, is the choice of a holster with the Safariland 7TS. Both of these decisions could be crucial to how the new handgun is perceived by soldiers, and more importantly, affect how it is utilized.

Glock’s newest, and likely to be most talked about firearm for 2018, is the model 19X. The Glock 19X is meant to be a crossover that will hopefully allow consumers to do so with confidence. The Glock 19X is a step into a new direction and quite possibly a new iteration of future pistols. This aberration of a Gen5  combines a G17 frame with a G19 slide assembly. This unique combination allows for the capacity of their full size G17 magazines, more dexterity and positive handling, and accuracy in a smaller package.

Air Force testing crews from Eglin AFB in Florida were recently in the news as testing the Army’s newly adopted Sig Sauer 9x19mm MHS handgun for pilots being ejected out of their aircraft. Actual testing was conducted at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio at the vertical deceleration tower as a part of the 711th Human Performance Wing. Two MHS’s were attached to both sides of a dummy pilots survival vest to test for both right-handed and left-handed carry. One MHS had an extended 21 round magazine while the other had a flush fit 17 round version. It would appear that the more compact M18 would be a better fit for the Air Force, but at this point, it is hard to tell if the version in the testing is an M17 or M18.

The US Army’s new sidearm, the SIG Sauer M17 Modular Handgun System, will soon be available for purchase on the civilian market. SIG’s Chief Marketing Officer Tom Taylor told Military.com about the decision, saying that about 5,000 of the full size M17 variant will be released to the civilian market sometime in early 2018:

The first holster to be issued with the US Army’s new Modular Handgun System, including both the M17 and M18 pistols, will be a variant of the Safariland 7TS holster, featuring both ALS and SLS locking systems. The holster is the first of at least three holsters to be procured as part of the MHS program, to be followed by a variant that accommodates an aiming laser/light module, as well as a concealed holster for the M18 compact variant. The holster was procured through the tailored logistics program, and the vendor selected for its ability to meet MHS’s timeline, according to a Military.com article written by Matthew Cox.

The US Army has announced a decision to field the M17 MHS as a sidearm to more soldiers than were previously issued M9 handguns. Where previously only senior leadership were authorized to carry handguns, with the new M17 and M18 Modular Handgun System squad and team leaders will be authorized. The move is intended to give those leaders greater flexibility in close quarters battle. Military.com reports:

The Royal Danish Army, Hæren, are reportedly about to embark on trials to replace the venerable SIG P210, which has been in Danish service since 1949.

At the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting, Oberndorf gunmaker Heckler & Koch had on display the latest configuration of their CSASS winning rifle, the G28E-based M110A1. The rifle is similar to the M110A1 displayed at the 2017 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, but sports a RAL8000 bronze finish (similar to the CSASS prototypes), and folding Troy back up iron sights. The CSASS has also benefited from the latest round of upgrades made to the HK416A5/A7, including a right-side bolt catch and ambidextrous magazine release. Interestingly, compared to the previous CSASS displayed at SHOT, this newest model lacks a forward assist.