Canadian military selects new pistol to replace aging handguns
The Canadian military is getting new pistols to replace its current Second World War-era sidearms.
The Department of National Defence on Friday announced an initial contract award of US$3.2 million to outfit the Canadian Army with 7,000 new handguns and holsters.
Supplier M.D. Charlton Co. Ltd. of Victoria will provide the Sig Sauer P320 handguns – dubbed the C22 by the military – and holsters to replace the army's longstanding Browning 9mm.
The department says an additional 9,500 pistols will be available under the contract for the Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy and Military Police.
The first delivery of the new 9mm pistols is expected in the middle of next year.
The military says the C22 will use the same ammunition as the Browning handgun and will have similar ballistic performance.
However, the new gun is lighter, more ergonomic and features an expanded magazine capacity, according to the department. The C22 also allows for ambidextrous controls to accommodate both left- and right-handed shooters.
Unlike the Browning, the new Sig Sauer also features an indicator that's visible from several angles to identify whether or not the weapon is loaded.
FULL CONTRACT WORTH $7.6M
National Defence Minister Anita Anand said in a statement Friday the government is "committed to providing the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need when they need it."
Anand said the C22 will "help ensure the continued operational readiness and effectiveness" of the military.
The Victoria-based armament distributor was chosen through a competitive bid process, which Helena Jaczek, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, categorized as open and fair in a statement Friday.
"This contract will provide our troops with modern, reliable pistols and holsters to carry out their work, while supporting economic opportunities for the Canadian defence industry," Jaczek said.
The full contract value is estimated at US$7.6 million if the options for the additional 9,500 pistols across the Canadian Armed Forces are exercised.
The Sig Sauer P320 is currently in use with other militaries, including those of the United States, France and Denmark.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Parliamentary report on Emergencies Act decision is 18 months past due — and counting
The erstwhile group of senators and MPs studying the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act over the "Freedom Convoy" was supposed to present its findings in December. December of 2022, that is.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.