The Swiss Armed Forces has – as reported – the P320 from SIG Sauer as the successor to its aging SIG P220 service pistols (Pistole 75). However, the decision is still causing considerable debate.
A look back: in addition to the P320 from SIG Sauer, the Glock 17 from the Austrian pistol manufacturer Glock Austrian pistol manufacturer Glock and the SFP9 from Heckler & Koch. In the run-up to the decision, all three weapons were subjected to “intensive and comprehensive technical testing, a troop test and an examination of logistical aspects”, as stated by the Swiss Federal Armaments Office Armasuisse. And further: “Particular attention was paid to the safe handling of the pistols. The tests showed that only the Glock G45 met all the mandatory criteria and was classified as suitable for use by troops.”
This made the decision in favor of the P320 all the more surprising – even though there have been safety concerns about this weapon system for years (Militär Aktuell reported). The decision raises all the more questions because, according to recent research, the SIG-Sauer system even failed to meet “must-have” criteria, as the Swiss medium Watson reports.
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Internal documents provide information
According to the report, the Swiss Armed Forces published two internal documents on the procurement process for the new army pistol at Watson’s request and based on the Swiss Public Disclosure Act just before Christmas. These documents deal with both the technical requirements formulated by the army for the new pistol and the criteria for the planned type selection, which were drawn up between September 2021 and the end of 2022.
Watson’s research also shows that the Swiss Army already intended to replace its P220 with the Glock 17 years ago. The model had proven to be reliable and cost-effective. However, the plan to procure it as the new standard military weapon failed “due to legal and political concerns”, according to the report. According to the report, Armasuisse objected in 2021 and declared that the additional Glock pistols could not be procured “freehand”. The Federal Act on Public Procurement (BöB) stipulates “that a standardized selection procedure must be carried out for larger sums”.
Watson continues: “So the army wanted the Glock, but Armasuisse forced a competitive process with several manufacturers – in the end, the head of Armasuisse also interfered in the ongoing selection process in favor of SIG Sauer. The result is a new army pistol that is more complex and more controversial in terms of safety.”
In its report, Watson lists in detail which technical specifications were defined by the procurers and how the decision was ultimately made. The conclusion is clear: “The decision in favor of the SIG Sauer P320 shows that national arms policy interests and business promotion were actually given higher priority by those responsible at the federal government than the greatest possible functional reliability of the new army pistol.”
The medium also raises the question of why the US manufacturer SIG Sauer, which has yet to build up production capacity in Switzerland, was able to offer around 20 percent lower prices than its European competitors Glock and Heckler & Koch, which already produce in EU countries.
Contract with SIG Sauer not yet finalized
However, the procurement contract with SIG Sauer has not yet been signed. The US weapons manufacturer must first make minor improvements. According to the Swiss Head of Armaments and Armasuisse Director Urs Loher, however, these would not relate to the “technical safety” of the P320, but would concern other points.
In any case, the order is extremely lucrative: the Swiss army needs up to 140,000 new service pistols. With the so-called “Army Message 26”, an initial tranche of 50,000 weapons is to be requested for procurement. According to the current budget, a mid double-digit million euro sum is earmarked for the project. In addition to the service pistols, the procurement also includes other operational material such as additional magazines or holsters as well as training material, including documentation and dummy pistols that cannot be fired.
Here for more news about the Swiss Armed Forces and here to further news about Glock.
