by FY2013 and type classification was expected in FY2014. Testing and evaluation of replacement pistols were expected to begin in early 2014. The new pistol will also be carried by more soldiers, namely squad and team leaders. A three-year test and evaluation will determine if a COTS contender can replace all 239,000 M9s, as well as the concealable M11. The program was in conjunction with the Air Force. The House Armed Services Committee was pushing to upgrade the M9 rather than pursue a new program. Project officers believed buying a new pistol would be cheaper than improving and maintaining the M9 and offered designs that outperform it. The three-year Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase will test a variety of capabilities including accuracy, dispersion, compatibility, and corrosion resistance. Pistols will be tested in extreme weather and extreme combat conditions. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was expected to be issued in January 2014. The Army plans to buy 265,000 new pistols. The Army held an industry day for the MHS on 29 July 2014. The program looked to replace the entire handgun system, which includes the gun, ammo, holster, and some other parts. Owing to the poor reception of the 9mm NATO cartridge in combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, the program was an open-caliber competition to evaluate larger rounds like the .40 S&W and .45 ACP or more powerful rounds like the .357 SIG or FN 5.7×28mm. Although the objective was for a round with better terminal ballistics, the argument for adopting a larger bullet has disadvantages. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and certain police forces have reversed earlier decisions to replace their 9mm pistols with ones chambered for .40 S&W because the heavier bullet and greater recoil caused excessive wear and frame damage. Law enforcement personnel have found that even marginally larger pistol rounds are still too underpowered to stop a person with one shot, and that smaller rounds allow for better shot placement when firing rapidly. Beretta has submitted changes and product improvements to the M9 system, like the M9A1 accepted by the U.S. Marine Corps in 2006, but the Army has maintained that the M9 system does not meet their MHS requirements. The MHS competition was planned to be launched in January 2015 with the release of a final solicitation. Some 280,000 standard pistols will be ordered, as well as 7,000 compact versions, with deliveries to begin