The Air Force said last week that its M18 service pistol is “safe, reliable, and functional” following a review of tens of thousands of the firearms. The findings came as part of the final review in a large-scale inspection of the gun ordered last year after an airman was killed by a bullet fired from a M18.
Last July, Airman Brayden Lovan, 21, with the 90th Security Forces Group was shot and killed at F.E. Warren Air Base. The shooting was initially reported as an accidental discharge. Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the United States’ intercontinental ballistic missile bases including F.E. Warren, said it was pulling the pistols from service shortly after, with some other commands doing the same.
Air Force Global Strike Command ordered an inspection of its arsenal of M18s, and the wider Air Force did a service-wide review. The M18 is based on Sig Sauer’s P320 pistol and the pistols have been in use by the Air Force for several years. The report, released to the public more than a year after Lovan’s death, but dated to January of this year, found that “inspected weapons exhibited no signs of any condition that could have caused the weapons to experience an ‘uncommanded discharge,’” the Air Force said.
According to the investigation, the Department of the Air Force has 125,917 M18 pistols in total, with 117,864 “in-use.” Of those, the department has inspected 113,479 and found that 98.6% are deemed in “satisfactory” condition. The remaining guns are listed as “other than satisfactory,” for issues ranging from “lightly pitted” parts to requiring repairs or adjustment. Of the “in-use” M18s that have yet to be inspected, they are currently in extended storage.
In August 2025, Air Force Global Strike Command said that it was returning the guns to use after a “review of weapon discharges in [Air Force Global Strike Command] showed that none were attributed to weapons malfunction.” That month another airman from the 90th Security Forces Group was arrested in connection to Lovan’s death. Two other security forces airmen admitted to making false statements about the shooting when court-martialed in October. According to their testimony, Lovan was shot after having a pistol aimed at him, rather than accidentally firing while in its holster, as had previously been reported.
Last month, the Air Force said it would continue to use the M18 as its sidearm.
