Army guns
In early December, Beretta USA, the maker of the US military’s M9 pistol for 30 years, submitted its improved M9A3 as a possible alternative to head off the Army’s Modular Handgun System program to replace the Beretta M9 with a “more better” pistol. But last month the Army’s Configuration Control Board decided not to evaluate the M9A3, according to a source familiar with the decision.
Army bullets
Liberty Ammunition filed suit against the Department of Defense in 2011, claiming that the Department of the Army used Liberty’s trade secrets to produce M855A1 “enhanced performance rounds” using a lead-free projectile with a steel insert for military rifles that were nearly identical to a bullet Liberty patented.
US Federal Court of Claims Judge Charles F. Lettow found the federal government had infringed on Liberty’s patent for its copper-core, steel-tipped ammunition. Lettow ordered the government to pay two levels of damages, the first being a $15.6 million lump payment. The government was also ordered to pay a 1.4-cent royalty on every bullet it purchases and receives for use. It will make those payments until Liberty’s patent expires in 2027.
