FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), the first unit to receive the Army’s new Modular Handgun System, began fielding the M17 and M18 pistols Nov 28.
“This is another 101st first,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew P. Poppas, 101st ABN DIV (AASLT) commander. “Our 75-year legacy is full of landmark moments like this.”
Poppas, along with Command Sgt. Maj. Todd W. Sims, 101st senior enlisted leader, Brig. Gen. John W. Brennan, 101st deputy commanding general for operations, Brig. Gen. K. Todd Royar, 101st deputy commanding general for support and 25 soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, fired the M17 at the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) indoor range after receiving preliminary marksmanship instruction the day prior.
“It is an easy, smooth-firing weapon,” said Poppas.
A sentiment echoed by others who fired the MHS.
“It is easier to fire and simpler to operate,” said Sgt. Matthew J. Marsh, a 1BCT soldier. “The pistol felt very natural in my hand. I am excited to take my experience back to my unit and share it with my soldiers.”
The 1st Brigade Combat Team is the first 101st unit to field the M17.
More expansive, battalion and brigade-level fielding initiatives will begin across the division in the coming weeks.
The 101st ABN DIV (AASLT) received its shipment of more than 2,000 M17 and M18 handguns, Nov. 17, and unpacked, inventoried, inspected and test fired a portion of the pistols, Nov 27.
The M18 is a compact version of the M17.
According to the Army, the MHS program is the first in a line of modernization efforts that the service will pursue over the next few years.
“The world has changed since the strength and resilience of this division was forged during the maelstrom of World War II,” said Poppas. “In order to maintain our decisive edge, we must continue to outpace our potential adversaries with more lethal capabilities, from the modular handgun system we fielded today to the innovative and adaptive air assault concepts, equipment and training the 101st continues to perfect.”
Over the next decade, the Army will distribute the MHS to all units.
The M17 replaces the M9 pistol, the standard Army sidearm since 1986.
The new handguns also have an external safety, self-illuminating sights for low-light conditions, an integrated rail for attaching enablers and an Army standard suppressor conversion kit to attach an acoustic/flash suppressor.
The M17 and M18 pistols are manufactured by Sig Sauer, who earned the $580 million contract to produce the weapons in January after winning the Army and Air Force’s modular handgun competition.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, Army chief of staff, and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas senator, who were visiting the installation, were also on hand for the event. Afterwards, both visited the Currahee Memorial, a monument honoring the 506th Infantry Regiment, a unit that Milley and Cotton were previously assigned.