ATLANTIC CITY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.J. (Oct. 5, 2021) —
Leadership from the 177th Fighter Wing took to the Transportation Security Administration firing range at the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center, in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. to fire a new service pistol, the SIG Sauer P320-M18 Sep. 24, 2021.
There were two principals behind the 177th FW leadership firing the M18: qualifying with the weapon themselves, and gaining insight into the experience of the Airmen who will carry it.
After 35 years, the M18 will be the first sidearm to replace the Beretta M9 as the U.S. armed forces service pistol. Both the M17 and M18, built on SIG Sauer’s P320 frame, are built with a removable trigger module that can be mixed and matched with different grips, barrels and slides. This enables Airmen to optimize their M18 for specific scenarios.
“The Air Force is fielding the M18, and that’s why we’re here,” said Capt. Christopher M. Gable, 177th SFS operations officer. “If we expect our Airmen to qualify with it, we should too.”
After qualifying with the M18, 177th FW leadership remarked upon it feeling more modern, and appreciating its modularity, said Gable.
With the advancement from the Beretta M9 to the SIG Sauer P320-M18, the 177th Fighter Wing is modernizing the armament of our Airmen and taking the next step toward the Air Force of the future.