Beretta is publicly unveiling their full-sized, striker fired pistol at IDEX in the UAE but it was shown to select clients at SHOT Show. With the US Army’s love affair with the 92 all but over, the APX is just in time for the Joint Combat Pistol.

The introduction of the APX model completes the company’s full size pistol portfolio and positions Beretta as the world’s premier small arms manufacturer. Beretta has manufactured semi-automatic pistols since 1915 and is now one of the very few manufacturers to offer full size polymer and metallic framed handguns in both hammer and striker fired operating systems.

Beretta elected to debut its new APX striker fired pistol at the upcoming IDEX Show (International Defence Exhibition & Conference) in Abu Dhabi because it is one of the most important shows for the international defense sector. “With the show opening February 22, IDEX is one of the first venues where defense contractors present their wares to worldwide military customers and Beretta felt this was the ideal environment to present the international offering of its APX pistol,” stated Carlo Ferlito, General Manager of Beretta and Beretta Defense Technologies (BDT) Vice President.

Designed specifically for military and law enforcement operators, the APX has been put through extensive testing and evaluation at the professional end-user level.

Carlo Ferlito explained that Beretta places paramount importance on performance and wanted to ensure they built a product to meet the operator’s specific needs. “Beretta waited to enter the striker fired market until we had a pistol we knew would meet the needs of the operator. The APX has been more than three years in development. We tested it extensively with professional end users and incorporated that feedback at every opportunity. The result is a pistol platform that delivers superior performance in durability, reliability, accuracy and ergonomics.”

Beretta intends to submit a variant of the APX shown at IDEX to the upcoming US Army Modular Handgun System. “Of course we will continue to develop the APX to take into consideration the final specifications of the MHS as they become known,” stated Gabriele De Plano, Vice President of Beretta Defense Technologies (BDT) USA Marketing and Operations.

The APX striker fired pistol has been developed to match military and law enforcement needs but is not just for these customers, Beretta intends to market a variant for the commercial market later this year. This addition to Beretta’s pistol line will further cement the company’s position as one of the world’s leading small arms manufacturers.

Recently, Beretta has announced the M9A3, the next generation of the M9 US Military Service Pistol. The M9A3 is being submitted via an Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) in accordance with the terms of the current M9 contract.

“The M9A3 represents the next generation military handgun utilizing the best of the legacy M9 combined with proven COTS modifications that increase performance and durability” stated Gabriele de Plano, Vice President of Military Marketing and Sales for Beretta USA. Mr. de Plano added, “After listening closely to the needs of U.S. Army and other Service small arms representatives, we determined the M9, much like its counterpart legacy weapon systems (M4, M16, M240, etc.), was capable of being upgraded through material and design changes. The resulting M9A3 we are offering to the DOD will likely cost less than the current M9 and answer almost all of the Services’ enhanced handgun requirements.”

The M9A3 features:

– A thinner grip
– Removeable, modular wrap-around grip
– 1913 accessory rail
– Removable front and rear tritium sights
– Extended barrel with threading for a suppressor
– 17-round sand-resistant magazine
– Improvement to various small components
– Comes in an Earth Tone finish

Additionally, an LE/Civilian variant will be launched at SHOT Show 2015, and is expected to be commercially available sometime in second quarter 2015.

For more information, check out www.beretta.com/en-us/m9a3

That’s some craftsmanship.