Modular Handgun System

The Modular Handgun System (MHS) is a United States Army and United States Air Force competition for a new handgun. The Modular Handgun System is anticipated to be the next U.S. military standard side arm replacing the Beretta M9 pistol. The U.S. Marine Corps is also participating in the program to have input on source selection, but likely will not order the resulting weapon until their current pistols' life-cycles end in the mid-2020s.^[1]

Rationale

The main reason for the program is for the same reason that the M1911A1 was replaced by the M9 previously: the pistols were at the end of their service life and wearing out. All firearms have a finite life cycle. While parts such as the barrel, grips, springs, pins, and others can be replaced, the frame cannot. With use, the frame becomes unserviceable. The M9, in service since the 1980s, is approaching this limit. Examples in service are showing signs of terminal wear, and rather than replacing them with newly built M9s, the Army is opting for a new weapon to address design weaknesses.^[2] Special Forces use pistols more often and reach the end of the M9's service life relatively quickly, and regular troops are also reaching their handguns' lifecycle end through sheer age. Special operators have opted for other side arms like the SIG Sauer P226 and P228 (Navy SEALs) as well as the Glock 19 (Army Rangers) and Glock 22 (Delta Force). Conventional soldiers have problems with M9 features, or perceived lack thereof, including no accessory rail or suppressor attachment, an ergonomically poor grip, a heavy trigger pull, poor safety selector placement, and an open slide that lets in debris and can cause a malfunction.^[3]

Requirements

The U.S. Army initially required the MHS to be more effective, accurate, and reliable than the M9 pistol. The MHS requirement called for a non-caliber specific weapon with modular features to allow for the adaption of different fire control devices, pistol grips, and alternate magazine options. The weapon will fit various hand sizes and will mount targeting enablers using Picatinny rails. The new weapon will incorporate detection avoidance by having a non-reflective neutral color and will be operable with a suppressor in place.^[4]

In January 2013, the Army released a Request for Information (RFI) to assess available handgun technologies and U.S. small arms industrial production capacity for the Modular Handgun System. The announcement seeks information “on potential improvements in handgun performance in the areas of accuracy and dispersion out to 50 meters, terminal performance, modularity, reliability, and durability in all environments.” The handgun should have a 90 percent or more chance of hitting in a 4-inch circle out to 50 meters consistently throughout the weapon's lifetime. Ergonomic design should minimize recoil energies and control shot dispersion. Features include, but are not limited to, compatibility with accessory items to include tactical lights, lasers, and sound suppressors. Full ambidextrous controls are required and there is interest in ergonomic designs that can be controlled by female shooters.

There is no specific caliber, but terminal ballistics at 50 meters through 14 inches of ballistics gel will assess lethality compared to M882 9mm FMJ rounds. Specific interest is given to pistols that can accommodate higher chamber pressures over 20 percent greater than SAAMI specification for the cartridge without degradation of reliability. The RFI calls for 2,000 mean rounds between stoppages, 10,000 mean rounds between failures, and a 35,000 round service life. Manufacturers are asked to provide production capacity estimates on minimum and maximum monthly rates, as well as the lead times to achieve those rates. Estimated pricing is requested for quantities of 250,000 to 550,000 handguns.^[5]

Development

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 handgun in fiscal year (FY) 2011–2012. Testing was to be completed by FY2013 and type classification was expected in FY2014.^[4]

Testing and evaluation of replacement pistols were expected to begin in early 2014. The new pistol will also be carried by more soldiers, namely squad and team leaders. A three-year test and evaluation will determine if a commercial off-the-shelf contender can replace all 239,000 M9s, as well as the concealable M11. The program is in conjunction with the Air Force. The House Armed Services Committee is still pushing to upgrade the M9 rather than pursue a new program. Project officers believe buying a new pistol is cheaper than improving and maintaining the M9 and offers designs that outperform it. The three-year engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase will test a variety of capabilities including accuracy, dispersion, compatibility, and corrosion resistance. Pistols will be tested in extreme weather and extreme combat conditions.^[6] A Request for Proposals (RFP) was expected to be issued in January 2014. The Army plans to buy 265,000 new pistols.^[3]

The Army held an industry day for the MHS on 29 July 2014. The program is looking to replace the entire handgun system, which includes the gun, ammo, holster, and some other parts. Due to the poor reception of the 9mm NATO cartridge in combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, the program will be an open-caliber competition to evaluate larger rounds like the .40 S&W and .45 ACP or more powerful rounds like the .357 SIG or FN 5.7×28mm. Although the objective is for a round with better terminal ballistics, the argument for adopting a larger bullet has disadvantages. The FBI and certain police forces have reversed earlier decisions to replace their 9 mm pistols with ones chambered for .40 S&W because the heavier bullet and greater recoil caused excessive wear and frame damage. Law enforcement personnel have found that even marginally larger pistol rounds are still too underpowered to kill a person with one shot, and that smaller rounds allow for better shot placement when firing rapidly. Beretta has submitted changes and product improvements to the M9 system, like the M9A1 accepted by the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006, but the Army has maintained that the M9 system does not meet their MHS requirements.^[7]

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.^[8]

In December 2014, Beretta announced the M9A3, which will be 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.^[9] 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.^[10]

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;"^[11] 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. The final solicitation was planned to be revealed in 2016, with testing of three versions to be conducted through 2017. Full-rate production would begin in 2018, with 280,000 standard pistols for the Army, 212,000 for other services, and 7,000 compact versions for soldiers.^[12] 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 Criminal Investigations 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 FMJ round having insufficient stopping power, so a move to expanding bullets could allow more lethality without switching to a different caliber.^[13]

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 is 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.^[14]

Competitors

Twelve pistols were entered into the competition:^[15][16]

• : Beretta will not enter the improved M9A3, instead competing with their new APX striker-fired pistol chambered in 9mm NATO and .40 S&W.^[15]
• : CZ P-09 MHS chambered in 9mm NATO and .40 S&W.^[15]
• : FN Herstal have entered with a polymer-framed, striker-fired pistol for which no more details have been disclosed.^[16]
• : Glock 17 Gen4 and 22 Gen4 chambered in 9mm NATO and .40 S&W, respectively.^[15]
• : KRISS USA announced its entry into the program using a variant of their Sphinx SDP platform chambered in 9mm NATO.^[17][18]
• : SIG Sauer P320 MHS chambered in .357 SIG.^[15]
• : Smith & Wesson M&P chambered in .40 S&W; in co-operation with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.^[19]
• : Springfield Armory XDM chambered in 9mm NATO and .40 S&W.
• : STI-Detonics Defense STX chambered in 9mm NATO.^[20]

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 will be selected ahead of low-rate initial production and first deliveries to U.S. armed forces.

Though no formal announcement has been made, as SEC filing indicates that Smith & Wesson's entry has been eliminated from the selection process. ^[21]

See also

• Joint Combat Pistol
• Individual Carbine
• XM8 rifle

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.