M18 Back In Use With Air Force After Investigation

The P320-series of guns has been in the news lately, particularly those used by the US military. Investigations ensued after the death of an Airman involving one of the guns, which were immediately pulled from service. Well, the M18 is back in service and another Airman has been charged criminally in connection with the incident. We spoke to SIG Sauer to get their views on the situation.

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Airman Killed In Incident Involving M18

The most major and horrible development in the P320 saga was the death of a US Air Force Airman. Reports emerged in late July of a fatality incident at F.E. Warren AFB in Wyoming. It was later confirmed that Airman Brayden Lovan died in an incident involving an M18. Rumors circulated wildly online in the wake of that incident.

In early August, it was reported that another Airman had been arrested in connection with the incident. The Air Force statement said, in part, "the unidentified arrested person is accused of making a false official statement, obstruction of justice and involuntary manslaughter." Those charges suggest strongly that the stories circulating at the time about this being an uncommanded, self-inflicted discharge were not correct. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations appears to still have an active case open.

Involuntary manslaughter under the Uniform Code of Military Justice deserves some examination. 10 U.S. Code § 919 - Art. 119. Manslaughter reads, in part:

“(b) Any person subject to this chapter who, without an intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm, unlawfully kills a human being—

(1) by culpable negligence; or

(2) while perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate an offense, other than those named in clause (4) of section 918 of this title (article 118), directly affecting the person;

is guilty of involuntary manslaughter and shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

Article 118 deals with murder and attempted murder, so (2) converted into plain text means "while committing a crime other than murder." Thus, involuntary manslaughter is the appropriate charge if the military member is either severely negligent or committing a non-murder crime and a death results. Without knowing more facts we cannot say which of these situations the Air Force is alleging in this case.

Air Force Pauses, Then Resumes M18 Use

In the wake of Airman Lovan’s death, the Air Force took a new look at the M17/18. Air Force Global Strike Command (the part of the Air Force that handles nuclear missiles and strategic bombers, among other things) pulled the pistols from service to inspect every single one.

AFGSC has now completed those inspections, and according to a public statement the guns are now back in service. Sig Sauer posted a press release hailing this news. That press release framed the renewed issuing of the M18 as a total vindication.

The Air Force statement notes that 7,970 M18 handguns were inspected as part of this review. But it also notes that 191 pistols (about 2.39% of those inspected) had "discrepancies" which were most commonly component wear issues classified as "problems with the safety lever, striker assembly and sear." At least in part, these issues lead AFGSC to begin "implementing enhanced inspection procedures for the M18 pistol.” It goes on to state that “The command’s bases will include additional inspection criteria for the areas where potential issues were found during the M18 pause."

We reached out to SIG Sauer for comment and spoke to Phil Strader, VP of Consumer Affairs at SIG.

TFB: The Air Force found 191 individual M18s that had unexpected “discrepancies” including wear marks on components of the guns’ internal safety mechanisms. Those weapons are being pulled out of service until repairs are completed. Does Sig Sauer have concerns about so many individual guns bearing unexpected wear marks?

Strader: No. The USAF Global Strike Command (AFGSC) senior leadership assured SIG SAUER that the identified discrepancies did not affect the function or safety of the 191 individual M18s.

TFB: Can you explain what may be causing these internal issues with the weapon?

Strader: The statement provided does not explain or speculate the causation of the wear noted. It is possible that the 191EA M18s mentioned could have been exposed to higher round counts or dry-fire repetitions than the other 7,779 pistols. Additionally, it is unknown if these pistols were maintained according to the parts replacement schedule. This information has not been shared with SIG SAUER, but we are happy to assist the AFGSC in any way possible to help determine outlying factors that could have contributed to any additional wear. As with all products, wear and tear from normal use is to be expected. SIG SAUER reminds all its customers to review the recommended maintenance schedule in their respective product manuals. 

TFB: Will Sig Sauer cover the costs of these necessary repairs?

Strader: SIG SAUER is currently under contract with the US Military to provide M17/M18 pistols and support for the system. We will continue to work closely with the USAF Global Strike Command to ensure that all M18 pistols are properly maintained according to the contract’s parts replacement schedule.

TFB: Is the company considering changes to the design or manufacturing processes of the M17/M18 given the findings of this review?

Strader: The P320, M17, and M18 are the most proven pistols in history and have never experienced any wear that would affect function or safety throughout our rigorous durability testing. The USAF confirmed that “a review of weapon discharges in AFGSC showed that none were attributed to weapons malfunction.” 

We thank SIG Sauer for providing their comments. While this is unlikely to be the last page of the P320 story, the resumption of M18 use by AFGSC is a positive. Elsewhere, litigation continues and there is still an animated debate online. Let us know in the comments what you think about all of these goings on.