101 Airborne First to Receive New XM17
Kevin Felts 07.25.17
According to a press release from the United States Army, starting in November 2017, troops of the 101 Airborne will start receiving the the new Sig P320 XM17 handgun.
There is an ongoing debate on whether Sig was handed the contract over Glock. Part of the debate says that “maybe” the best handgun was not picked for the Modular Handgun System contract.
So, to put that debate to rest, the sooner the XM17 gets into the field and put to the test, the better.
The press release – Army to begin fielding new modular handguns in November.
The first new XM17 handguns are scheduled to be fielded to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in November.
The articles goes on to say,
Members of the 101st Airborne are scheduled to receive about 2,000 pistols in November. Eventually, the Army will distribute the weapons to all units over a 10-year period. From November 2017 until September 2018, the new handguns will be fielded at a different post each month, except for March and April of 2018, according to the current plan.
Power said troops from different military branches have already trained with the new handguns and tested them, but none have fielded the weapons yet. The new weapons have long been anticipated, as the M9 Beretta, first issued in 1986, is nearing the end of its serviceability.
With all the hoopla surrounding Glock losing to Sig, it will be interesting to see how the XM17 does once it gets into the field.
There have been accusations the military did not full test the Sig P320 like they did with the Beretta. Once the XM17 sees service, the accusations will either be proven right or wrong.
On a personal note, it will be interesting to see how the reliability and lifespan of the SIg P320 compares to the Beretta M9. The M9 entered service in 1986. I wonder how the Sig P320 in 30+ years?
