rounds on the battlefield, the U.S. has generally observed the agreement, although it has reserved the right to use the bullet type "where it saw a need," such as United States Army Criminal Investigation Command, Military Police, and Special Forces. The Army claims expanding use to regular troops supports the international law principles of preventing excessive collateral effects, since expanding bullets transfer most of their energy into a target and usually do not pass through a body, and that legal standards have changed since the convention in an era of asymmetric warfare. Some complaints about the M9 involve its 9mm Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) round having insufficient stopping power, so a move to expanding bullets could allow more lethality without switching to a different caliber. Army Contracting Command released the official MHS RFP on 28 August 2015. The maximum program value of the XM17 contract could be worth up to $580 million. The competition was open caliber to allow submissions chambered in larger rounds; the solicitation does not specifically mention expanding bullet use, but it also does not prohibit it. Each manufacturer can submit two gun/ammunition combinations if they are differing calibers. Interested vendors had until late January 2016 to submit bids, one year after the RFP was originally planned to be released. Competitors Twelve pistols were entered into the competition: : Beretta APX chambered in 9mm NATO and .40 S&W. : CZ P-07 MHS and P-09 MHS chambered in 9 mm NATO and .40 S&W. : FN Herstal FN FNS variant, from which the FN 509 Tactical was developed. : Glock 17 MHS and 19 MHS chambered in 9 mm NATO, and the Glock 22 MHS and 23 MHS chambered in .40 S&W, respectively. : KRISS USA Sphinx SDP variant chambered in 9mm NATO. : SIG Sauer P320 MHS, a variant of the P320. : Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0; in co-operation with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. : STI and Detonics Defense STX. Sturm, Ruger & Co. designed a pistol series, the Ruger American Pistol, based on the specifications of the MHS, but ultimately declined to formally submit any variant of it for consideration. A down-selection to three weapon systems was expected to be made in August 2016, leading the way into a nine-month Production Verification Test (PVT) program. Following the successful conclusion of the PVT, a preferred bidder was intended to be selected ahead of low-rate