A soldier tests the Modular Handgun System for the US Army Operational Test Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, August 27, 2017. US Army photo by Lewis Perkins
Business Insider: The US military is snapping up the Army's new sidearm
* The Army picked a new sidearm in January 2017 and started distributing it to troops that November.
* In the months since, the other service branches placed orders for the weapon.
* The Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have confirmed the plan to buy thousands of the M17 and M18 handguns.
Months after the Army started distributing its new Modular Handgun System to soldiers, the other service branches are following its lead and buying thousands of the new sidearms for themselves.
The latest confirmation comes from the Air Force, which told Military.com on Thursday that it planned to buy 130,000 of the weapon to replace its current 9 mm M9 pistols. The Air Force released photos of its personnel performing some intense tests on the weapon in December.
An Air Force spokeswoman said the service planned to purchase the M18, which is the compact version of the weapon, as its standard handgun. The M17 is the full-size version.
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WNU Editor: Everyone wants the new handgun.
