Will the Army drink the Kool-Aid?
S&W is looking to get in on supplying the Army with M&Ps:
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. have joined forces in pursuit of a contract to supply a new 9mm handgun to the U.S. Army.
The firearm, for the Army’s Modular Handgun System solicitation, will be based on Smith & Wesson’s M&P polymer pistol platform, which features a reinforced polymer chassis and ambidextrous controls and which is carried by law enforcement personnel around the world.
“This partnership combines General Dynamics’ proven legacy in manufacturing military armaments with Smith & Wesson’s extensive experience in designing and manufacturing firearms for commercial applications,” said Tim McAuliffe, vice president and general manager of medium caliber ammunition and weapons for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. “General Dynamics’ extensive background in winning and managing military contracts brings proven leadership to the venture and by joining together, we will use our combined knowledge and expertise to bring this unique capability to the U.S. military to better equip the warfighter.”
The Army’s draft MHS solicitation identifies design and performance requirements for a new modular handgun that can be adjusted to fit all hand sizes and is optimized for improved gun, ammunition and magazine performance.
The competition to supply the weapon is scheduled to start in January, with delivery of the first new handgun systems in 2017.
November 27th, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Or will S&W get sucked dry by the Army and left an empty husk like Colt?
November 27th, 2014 at 1:22 pm
I didn’t know M&P’s came in .45acp
November 27th, 2014 at 7:10 pm
Interesting…GD has the knowledge of the procurement process to make this work. At a price.
November 28th, 2014 at 2:29 am
Aw,, just adopt a Glock with a slide mounted safety and forget the billions of wasted dollars.
I realize it’s just ‘taxpayers’ dough, but still.
November 28th, 2014 at 4:33 am
Bring back the 1911A1.
November 28th, 2014 at 1:30 pm
Or General Dynamics will add its overhead burden on to the price of a M&P and will attempt to sell the pistol to the Army if it takes every penny Smith and Wesson has.
No success implied or expressed by General Dynamics.
In 2 years somebody at S&W will loose their job over this.
November 28th, 2014 at 7:15 pm
The other question being whether or not the Army is serious. I’m betting they aren’t.
November 29th, 2014 at 11:24 am
Sounds like a much overly complicated design. Too many things to go wrong in the mud, the blood, the rain, the dust, and the abject panic of combat.
Simpler is better.
November 29th, 2014 at 3:46 pm
Alternatively, handguns could return to their role as officers’ emblems, and carbines could be assigned to the rear echelons. Would you rather have a 9mm or a PS90?
November 29th, 2014 at 6:11 pm
Is it too much to someday hope for cheap surplus Beretta mags and accessories?
November 30th, 2014 at 3:58 am
@snoopycomputer:
NO NO NO!!! Forget about military mags for the Beretta. They are junk, according to soldiers that have to rely on them. Much scrambling to find civilian versions for duty weapons in the MidEast. When you hear about them begging relatives to send them store bought ones, you can be pretty sure there is a problem.