On Dec. 4, 2025, the Swiss Armed Forces announced that the SIG Sauer P320 was selected as the new service pistol to replace the SIG Sauer P220 (adopted as the P75). This is in spite of the fact that the P320 did not meet “all the mandatory criteria.”
Some might attribute this to nationalism; others might not understand why that is, but the Swiss reasoning for the P320 selection is very simple and surprisingly un-Swiss.
Related: A new patent says the Sig Sauer P320 is unsafe—but offers a fix
To start, let’s break down SIG Sauer and the Swiss connection. Here in America, people familiar with the company generally think of Sig Sauer, Inc. in New Hampshire. This American company evolved from SIGARMS, which was established in Virginia to import SIG Sauer firearms. The American Sig Sauer was also initially part of, but has since separated from, SIG Sauer GmbH.
SIG Sauer GmbH is a German company that was founded through a merger between SIG of Switzerland and J.P. Sauer & Sohn of Germany, and went defunct in 2020. Then there’s SIG Sauer AG, the company formerly known as SIG Arms AG and Swiss Arms AG. SIG Sauer AG is the company that was awarded the Swiss military contract.
Aside from SIG Sauer, four other companies competed to replace the P75. However, following a pre-evaluation, only three were selected for in-depth examination in 2024: SIG, Glock, and Heckler & Koch. The Austrians submitted the Glock G45 Gen 5 while the Germans pitched the H&K SFP9 (better known as the VP9) in the U.S. market.
The evaluation by the Federal Office for Defence Procurement Armasuisse involved “intensive and comprehensive technical testing, a field trial and the review of logistical aspects.” Armasuisse also noted, “Special attention was paid to the safe handling of the pistols.”
At the conclusion of these tests, Armasuisse stated, “…only the Glock G45 met all the mandatory criteria and was classified as suitable for use by the troops.”
So, why was the SIG Sauer P320 chosen over the one pistol that actually met the requirements for the contract? Money.
Despite being one of the wealthiest and most expensive countries in the world, the Armasuisse reported that “economic assessment revealed substantial advantages of the model SIG Sauer P320 in relevant areas.” Over the planned 30-year lifecycle of the new service pistol, the economic assessment showed that the P320 would have the lowest overall cost.
As part of the contract, SIG Sauer AG guaranteed to “relocate essential elements of production to Switzerland.” Ok, fine. What about the requirements that only the Glock pistol met?
“The potential improvements identified with the SIG Sauer P320, that led to non-compliance with a technical requirement and to non-classification as suitable for use by the troops, were subjected to an in-depth analysis. This analysis showed that these were requalifiable adjustments attributable to aspects that can be resolved constructively, such as ergonomics and robustness of components,” Armasuisse said in the contract announcement. “The technical rectifications lie within realistic parameters and have been bindingly guaranteed by SIG Sauer. As part of the setup of production in Switzerland, the potential improvements identified will be implemented and requalified.”
Imagine you’re an E-5 and your commander holds a PT competition where the prize is a bonus of a year’s salary. Not only do you have the best overall score, you’re the only one that actually passes the individual events. But you don’t win the prize.
No, the bonus goes to the E-2 who didn’t pass, but the commander knows he can do better next time. After all, a year’s E-2 pay is much less to fork out than E-5. That said, at least the Swiss completed the pistol testing before awarding the contract based on cost. Looking at you, U.S. Army.
