THE SECOND WORLD WAR-ERA PISTOLS USED BY THE CANADIAN MILITARY WILL SOON BE REPLACED AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PLANS TO REQUEST BIDS FOR A NEW HANDGUN IN FEBRUARY.
The Second World War-era pistols used by the Canadian military will soon be replaced as the federal government plans to request bids for a new handgun in February.
A contract is expected to be awarded by September with initial deliveries beginning in the summer of 2022, Department of National Defence spokeswoman Jessica Lamirande said.
The new handguns will replace the Second World War-era Browning Hi-power pistols.
The military was originally going to make an initial purchase of 9,000 pistols for the Canadian Army. But that number has increased to 16,500 as handguns will also be bought for the Royal Canadian Air Force and military police, Lamirande noted.
The firearms will be modular, meaning they can be reconfigured for various roles.
“The procurement will also include options to support future requirements of additional modular pistols, but the precise number has not yet been confirmed as it will depend on requirements,” Lamirande explained.
Lamirande noted that since a competition for the guns will soon be underway, the DND cannot provide details on what the pistol purchase will cost taxpayers.
But in a closed-door session in 2016, industry representatives were told by military and DND procurement officials that the purchase of 15,000 to 25,000 handguns would cost $50 million, according to documents obtained by Postmedia News.
The pistol program is considered by the Canadian Army as a priority as the number of working Browning Hi-power handguns has significantly dwindled because of a lack of spare parts.
The project had been stalled for years after small arms firms rejected in 2011 the federal government requirement that the new guns be built at Colt Canada in Kitchener, Ont.
The DND was told at the time by industry representatives that it didn't make economic sense to have Colt manufacture the guns in Canada.
The handgun replacement project has been seen as an example of a highly dysfunctional military procurement system. At one point the DND tried to prevent small arms companies from talking to journalists about the bungled procurement but the department's decree was largely ignored.
Under the federal government's Munitions Supply Program sole source deals have been directed to Colt Canada to maintain a small arms expertise in the country.
But Lamirande said in 2018 changes were made to improve the Munitions Supply Program. Under those changes, new business was no longer automatically given to members of the supply program.