Air Force Orders Force-Wide Inspection of M18s in Wake of Airmen’s Death

The Air Force is performing a force-wide safety inspection on every one of its M18 9mm pistols as the service investigates the circumstances around the July 20th discharge of the service pistol that tragically killed a 21-year-old security forces Airmen. 

The safety inspection of the service’s 125,000 M18s coincides with Global Strike Command’s July 22 announcement that it had ordered its troops to stop using the Sig Sauer-made handgun until its investigations surrounding of the death of Airman Brayden Tyriq Lovan, who died on duty about 1:30 a.m. at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming are complete.

“The Air Force directed the service-wide supplemental inspection of the M18 out of caution to validate the serviceability of weapons and reinforce confidence in their use,” an Air Force spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The Global Strike order marked the first time an Air Force command had paused use of the M18, according to the spokesperson, who added that some units in Air Combat Command have temporarily restricted the pistol’s use as a “precautionary measure until Airmen undergo refresher training.” Training can include both operating and safe handling of the firearm.

Troops in affected ACC units can start using the M18 again once they have completed the training, which is expected to take about two weeks.

The War Zone was the first to report on units in ACC pausing the use of the M18.

The Air Force awarded a $22 million contract to Sig Sauer in 2020 for the M18 to replace the Beretta M9 9mm pistol in use since 1985. The Navy and Marine Corps also adopted the M18, while the Army contracted with Sig Sauer for the M17 and M18 Modular Handgun System, or MHS, in 2017.

The M18, the compact version of the MHS, is based on the Sig Sauer P320, a striker-fired pistol, which has had its share of controversy. Multiple lawsuits filed against Sig Sauer, mostly by law enforcement officers, have alleged that P320 pistols discharged unintentionally. 

One of the main differences between the M18 and  the P320 is that it features an external safety lever that, when engaged, prevents the weapon from firing. 

In a July 29 statement, Sig Sauer said it had “proactively offered assistance” to Air Force investigators looking into the July 20 fatal discharge.   

“SIG SAUER has ALWAYS and will continue to put the safety and security of the U.S. Military, the law enforcement community, our consumers, and the public first,” the statement said. 

The company also defended the safety of the P320 design.“The P320 CANNOT, under any circumstances, discharge without the trigger first being moved to the rear,” the company asserted. “This has been verified through exhaustive testing by SIG SAUER engineers, the U.S. Military, several major federal and state law enforcement agencies, and independent laboratories.” 

The Air Force Global Strike Command investigation continues, noted spokesman Charles Hoffman, who said cause of the discharge has not been determined. 

The investigations are being conducted by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Global Strike Command safety office. The specific investigation at F.E. Warren Air Force Base is tied to the July 20 incident and being “conducted based on the evidence of what actually occurred,” Hoffman said. “The length of time for each phase here will differ based on what is or is not discovered.”