It seems like every 6 months we hear a new story about replacing the M9. I don't think it's going to happen any time soon.

The US Army announced today that Beretta U.S.A. has been awarded a purchase order for 15,778 new Beretta 92FS pistols and cleaning kits. Delivery of the pistols will begin in 60 days and will proceed at a rate of 2,000 pistols per month.

While the M9 isn't going anywhere anytime soon, this batch is bought under FMS for other countries.  

FMS is a program where allied nations buy US military equipment through the DoD at the DoD price.  The Army is the proponent agency for the M9, so it's the agency that buys them for allies at the Army cost.

I only hear this from Army Times (not an official DA source) and here on AR15.com every few months.  Wishful thinking on both parts but nothing to do with reality.

Who else is buying the things?  Between the Glock, CZ75, and Browning Hi Power, that seems to cover the sidearms for every NATO country around.



 

The Beretta announcement specifically refers to Afghanistan and other allies.  It's rare that aid programs like FMS are used for NATO nations.  NATO, etc. can usually drive their own bargins that make more sense for them, and any NATO nation would buy direct from Italy which is a NATO nation.  When Turkey bought the Beretta 92, they had Beretta set up a factory there.  That's a much bigger economic impact than just getting a good price on M9's.  Beretta makes all the Stoeger Cougers there now, so Turkey made out much better overall.  Belgium assembled locally the F-16's it bought from General Dynamics.  

FMS is a form of aid.  Most first-line allied nations, like NATO, Australia, ROK, etc. don't fall under "aid" programs.  Those are usually direct buys with a great deal of political backing from the source nation.

Ah, so it's something in Afghanistan?  



I thought that the ANA and police forces were being supplied with S&W Sigmas?



 

Maybe they figured out just how much those suck.  

Maybe the Afghanis finally sold off the last of the Sigmas to the Taliban.

The linked announcement specifically mentions Afghanistan, but also mentions "other U.S. allies around the world".  It doesn't mention how many are going to whom.