In our previous story, we wrote about the Beretta M9A3 pistol which is the company's proposed pistol upgrade for the U.S. Army's "Modular Handgun System". We expect this pistol to be the strongest contender given the history of the company supplying the M9 pistol series for 30 years and recently got a contract of supplying 100,000 more M9s.

However, the U.S. Army has other ideas and declined to evaluate the M9A3 pistol, preferring to search for a modern and modular pistol, and that the M9 pistol is already showing its age.

The Modular Handgun System is looking for a closed slide design and a modular grip system that can handle different hand sizes. At present the M9A3 has been redesigned to accommodate smaller hands,  but still continues the open slide design just like the previous Beretta M9s. An open slide will be prone to dust and debris which is a problem in areas where the U.S. Military is conducting heavy operations, which usually involves being in the desert.

Furthermore, the Modular Handgun System is evaluating other pistols apart from the NATO 9mm, including the .45ACP and .40S&W. But Beretta are still holding out that the U.S. Army will consider their M9A3 pistol as they're looking to supply the M9A3 to finish out their current contract and helping the Army save in millions in dollars.

But with the U.S. Army declining to evaluate the M9A3, the company has expressed their disappointment, as Gabriel De Plano, the Vice-President for Military Marketing and Sales of Beretta USA stated according to Military.com:

“Obviously, they didn’t take a whole lot of time on this,” said De Plano, reacting to the news of the Army’s pre-Christmas decision after the M9A3’s December 10 unveiling.

Army officials “didn’t ask a single question; didn’t ask for a single sample” for evaluation, De Plano said.

Will the Beretta M9A3 still be able to be part of the Modular Handgun System? That will be a tall order for the company for now as competitors are keen to meet the programs requirements with a new pistol design rather than an upgrade of an existing pistol. Will Beretta offer something else and ditch the M9A3? We'll find out soon.

A civilian version of the Beretta M9A3 pistol will be on display at the SHOT Show 2015 in Las Vegas later this month with a target of offering this by Summer of 2015.