Beretta wins, again

Beretta won another Army contract. I am not sure how or why? The Beretta 92 is a decent enough weapon, but I feel to see how the won a contract for guns that are obviously more expensive then other just as reliable guns. I know some folks swear by their 92's, but I know more that swear at them. This must have been political..that's my guess. Beretta has factories in the U.S. and their must have been a requirement for the guns to be made in the U.S. and keep U.S. workers employed.


http://www.americanrifleman.org/BerettaPistolContract.html

Beretta Wins U.S. Service Pistol Contract
by John Zent, Editorial Director, NRA Publications

Beretta U.S.A. dropped a real show-stopper on the assembled firearms industry attending the 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando with the annoucement that it has received a U.S. Army contract to provide up to 450,000 Beretta Model 92FS pistol to U.S. military customers worldwide. It is the biggest handgun contract from the U.S. government since one awarded Colt during World War II, thereby extending Beretta’s run as our standard military pistol supplier.

"This contract will help ensure jobs for hundreds of U.S. workers in the Beretta U.S.A. factory in Maryland for years to come," said Jeffrey Reh, General Counsel and Vice-General Manager. "Beretta U.S.A. was awarded the contract to provide the Beretta 9mm Model 92FS pistol as the standard sidearm for the U.S. Armed Forces back in 1985 and we have continued to do so on a constant basis ever since. About three years ago, Beretta U.S.A. received 13 separate contracts to provide 9mm pistols and associated spare parts to the U.S. Armed Forces. This new, larger contract will continue our efforts by supporting foreign military customers of the United States."

The first of those foreign customers will be the Iraqi military, which has placed a delivery order for 20,000 pieces. In recent years the Army indicated an intention to conduct trials for a new standard service pistol and several prominent handgun makers had positioned themselves to compete for a chance at the prestigious contract. With this development, however, the Army has instead decided to stick with a proven commodity. During the announcement for the precedent-setting contract, company president Cav. Ugo Gusalli Beretta noted that during all the tens of thousands of test-firings of Model 92FS pistols there had been only one malfunction. "We are honored to see the quality and performance of the Beretta Model 92FS pistol continued to be acknowledged in this dramatic way," said Dr. Beretta. "It is clear that the Beretta 9mm pistol still sets the standard for military users around the world."