Arms
Beretta
Releases M9A3 for Army’s Handgun Upgrade Program
Beretta unveiled
its M9A3 handgun that the company is presenting to the U.S.
Army as part of the service’s plan to upgrade its standard issue
pistol.
The Army recently
awarded Baretta a contract to supply 100,000 more M9s, but this is separate.
Thus far, Baretta has produced more than 600,000 for the Defense Department in
all.
Army officials have spent five years
working on a program to upgrade the service’s handgun called Modular
Handgun System, or MHS. Those service leaders said they want to replace or
upgrade the M9 with a handgun that provides more accuracy, lethality,
reliability and durability.
The M9A3 is Beretta’s submission for a
different program, though. It’s the Engineering Change Proposal as part of
Beretta’s current contract with the Army.
Beretta officials
maintain that this upgraded model meets the Army’s requirements with upgrades
that “include design and material enhancements resulting in increased
modularity, reliability, durability, and ergonomics,” according to the Beretta
press release.
Improvements include a “thin grip with a
removable, modular wrap-around grip, MIL-STD-1913 accessory rail, removable
front and rear tritium sights, extended and threaded barrel for suppressor use,
17-round sand resistant magazine, and numerous improved small components to
increase durability and ergonomics, all in an earth tone finish”
“After listening closely to the needs of
U.S. Army and other Service small arms representatives, we determined the M9,
much like its counterpart legacy weapon systems (M4, M16, M240, etc.), was
capable of being upgraded through material and design changes. The resulting
M9A3 we are offering to the DOD will likely cost less than the current M9 and
answer almost all of the Services’ enhanced handgun requirements,”
said Gabriele de Plano, vice president of Military Marketing and Sales for
Beretta USA.
Beretta said it would release a commercial
version of the pistol at the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s SHOT Show in
Las Vegas next month.
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