The adaptation by the US Marines of a Sig Sauer pistol is considered the first major service-wide sidearm replacement since the Reagan era. In the past, Marines received either the M9, M9A1, M45A1, or the M007, along with other versions.
The US Marine Corps will issue SIG Sauer M18 pistols to its agents, replacing all previous handguns that have been in service since the time of former US President Ronald Reagan’s administration, according to Marine Corps Systems Command officials in a Tuesday press release.
The Marine is projecting the replacement, which began earlier in September, to be concluded by fiscal year 2022.
Formal Marksmanship Training Centers, Reconnaissance Battalions, Provost Marshall Offices, and Marine Corps Security Forces are said to become the first units that will receive the Sig Sauer pistols, according to the press release. The process will see replacing previous pistols, including the M9, M9A1, M45A1, and M007.
The M18 is has been praised by Pentagon officials as being less expensive, lighter, and having only one trigger pull, instead of two as in previous handguns, as well as possessing adjustable grips for different hand sizes.
Tom Vass, the military’s project officer for the US-built M18, said that the adaptation of the weapon, based on the Sig Sauer Model P320, is important for improving Marine agent safety during missions.
The replacement of older pistols is said to be part of an Army-led program fielded in 2017 that included adopting the M18, as well as the M17, a full-size version of the handgun.
In June, the US Air Force announced plans to provide all service members who are required to carry firearms with polymer-made M18 handguns. The Air Force purchased 125,000 M18s from Sig Sauer for $22.1 million, with delivery anticipated to have been completed by August.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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