The Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga., has requested information from commercial suppliers toward purchasing a new handgun for the Air Force. So far, the 782nd Combat Sustainment Support Squadron only wants to know what’s out there, but it’s looking for something better than the service’s current M9 pistol. For one thing, it must be “reliable in sand and dirt,” have “variable grip sizes,” and be able to “be configured for night aiming.” (If you want to know how far its ammunition should penetrate, read here.) The ALC estimates that the Air Force would need 100,000 over a five-year period. We guess that would be to sustain all the airmen engaged in “in lieu of” taskings, not to mention the growing numbers of battlefield airmen.
While the Space Force is still making long-term plans to establish high-fidelity live and virtual test and training ranges in the coming years, officials say they're also working with operators to identify near-term gaps and quickly field capabilities to address them.
