The Ministry of Defence has signed a £9m contract with Viking Arms Ltd to provide the Armed Forces with more than 25,000 new Glock sidearms and holsters.
The Glock 17 Gen 4 pistol is much lighter than the Browning pistol currently used by the UK military, it is also more accurate and carries more bullets – holding 17 9mm rounds compared to the Browning’s 13.
The new Glock 17s will be delivered to troops deployed to Afghanistan in the coming weeks.
Sidearms are a valuable weapon for servicemen and women on the battlefield and the new Glock, manufactured in Austria, will complement the wide range of weapons already available to the Armed Forces, which includes: SA80A2 assault rifles; light machine guns; sharpshooter rifles; and general purpose machine guns.
Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Philip Dunne said: “Now that we have balanced the budget we can invest with confidence in the equipment our Armed Forces need for the future. I have seen this pistol demonstrated in target ranges and am impressed that this new lighter, safer generation of pistol provides both better value for money for the MOD and will complement the wide range of weapons already available to front line troops.”
