The Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected the SIG Sauer P320 X-Carry to replace its standard-service pistol for Denmark’s Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations Command (SOCOM). The Danish MoD has more than 20,000 staff members—including 18,500 in its Danish Defence Command armed forces. It also includes the Danish Defence Intelligence Service and the country’s Emergency Management Agency.
The Glock 17 Gen 5, Beretta APX, Canik TP9SF, and the SIG P320 X-Carry underwent four weeks of testing under the varying conditions and circumstances that issued sidearms may encounter. Accuracy, night shooting and field proficiency were graded by members of Denmark’s military with additional drop, penetration and precision testing conducted by various firearm experts.
“By far, SIG Sauer’s P320 X-Carry outperformed the competition throughout our rigorous and stringent testing process,” said Tom Elvius-Brisson, chief of Weaponry Branch, Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization. “The P320 X-Carry pistol is the modern firearm we were looking for to support our soldiers. The P320 X-Carry has a larger magazine capacity, comes reflex red-dot ready for sighting, and has the ability to incorporate a suppressor—all extremely important features to our soldiers for their sidearm today and are all features which were missing on the current pistol in service in the Danish Defence.”
Denmark is the first European NATO country to select a SIG Sauer P320 series pistol as its officially issued standard service firearm. The virtues of the striker-fired handgun, adaptable to multiple calibers with varying grip sizes, were not overlooked by U.S. military, which adopted a version of it for its new XM17/XM18 Modular Handgun System. The 101st Airborne received the first shipment in December and reviews were glowing. The handgun continues to gain favor with a number of U.S. law enforcement agencies, as well.
“At SIG Sauer we are committed to manufacturing and providing firearms for the global military and defense community that surpass expectations in quality, performance, and safety,” said Ron Cohen, president and CEO of SIG Sauer. “We are very proud that the P320 continues to be the top choice by military and law enforcement from around the world as their standard issue pistol”