M17/M18

The standard US military sidearm since 2017 — a modular, striker-fired 9mm pistol built by SIG Sauer to replace the Beretta M9, and the subject of an unresolved safety controversy that led to an Air Force use-pause in 2025.

Overview

The M17 (full-size) and M18 (compact) are the US Department of Defense’s standard-issue service pistols, adopted under the Modular Handgun System (MHS) contract awarded to SIG Sauer in January 2017. Both are military-configured variants of the company’s P320 striker-fired platform, chambered in 9×19mm NATO and designed around a removable, serialized fire-control unit that permits caliber, grip, and size changes without tools. The pistols replaced the Beretta M9 across all US military services, with total procurement approaching 421,000 units and unit costs implied at roughly $1,378 per weapon within a bundled $580 million programme, according to Guns.com and SIG Sauer.

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