Canada opts for SIG Sauer P320 as future army sidearm
Following a competitive tender, the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) has awarded distributor company MD Charlton a $3.2 million contract to provide the Canadian Army with SIG Sauer P320 full-frame modular pistols.
The Canadian government will procure an initial amount of 7,000 pistols (designated C22) and holster systems for the Canadian Army, with deliveries expected to begin in mid-2023.
The C22 will have ‘similar ballistic performance’ and use the same ammunition as the existing Browning 9mm sidearm carried by Canadian troops, the DND noted in a 7 October statement.
However, the new pistol has a higher magazine capacity and weighs less than the Browning. Ambidextrous controls also enable left- and right-handed shooting.
Additional options for up to 9,500 pistols will be available under the contract to equip other branches of the Canadian armed forces, including the Military Police.
If the options are exercised, the value of the deal will rise to $7.6 million.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
US Army to launch hunt for new artillery
The search will look at existing artillery with an acknowledgement that a large part of the effect from the weapons comes from the munitions used.
-
Babcock and Patria join up to compete for the British Army’s medium vehicle requirement
Patria’s 6x6 armoured personnel carrier (APC) forms the basis of the trans-European Common Armoured Vehicle System (CAVS). The Finnish company and Babcock want to offer it for the UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP) medium protected requirement.
-
Six HIMARS rocket launchers to arrive in Estonia by mid-2025
Lockheed Martin has handed over six new HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to Estonia, which will “soon” be ready to be integrated into the country’s defence forces’ arsenal.
-
First UK-made British Army Boxer rolled out
The first batch of 623 Boxer ordered were built in Germany with the majority of the work now done in West Midlands and North-East Wales.