Germany has collaborated with Czech defense contractor Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod (CZUB) to supply new service pistols for the armed forces.
The project covers the distribution of the P13 handgun, a 9×19-millimeter system that will replace the military’s current Heckler & Koch P8 standard sidearm.
Selection of CZUB followed a competition between the firm, Slovenia’s Arex, and Austria’s Glock, with value being a decisive factor in the decision, according to Göttingen-based news agency Hartpunkt.
No live fire or related trials were facilitated to support the tender, the outlet reported.
Berlin is now working on a draft proposal worth 25 million euros ($29.2 million) expected to be submitted for federal parliament approval before the fall.
If greenlit, the deal will run for up to seven years with CZUB shipping up to 186,000 P13 pistols.
On the field, the firearm has an effective shooting range of approximately 50 meters (164 feet).
“The carrying equipment is intended to enable the safe transport of the new pistol across the board and reflect the different carrying styles,” the German Federal Armed Forces Office stated during the project’s launch in December 2024.
“The award does not involve the procurement of the holster bodies. These are to be made usable via a predefined interface with the carrying equipment to be procured in the process.”
