Posted : Tuesday Nov 16
Operators with Marine Forces Special Operations Command could soon be packing .45-caliber semi-automatic pistols, rather than the standard 9mm pistols now used by most Marines.
The M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistol is modeled after earlier versions of the weapons used by Force Recon units since the 1980s in amphibious raids and other forced-entry operations at sea. The Corps could buy between 400 and 12,000 pistols in a contract worth up to $22.5 million, according to Marine Corps Systems Command. The competition was launched in October.