Bundeswehr to Be Equipped With Czech Pistols Worth €100 Million

The German army has requested a €100 million budget to buy new service pistols, Hartpunkt reported.

Under the P13 program, the Ministry of Defense plans to replace the aging P8 pistol.

As part of the program, the Bundeswehr intends to sign a framework agreement with German distributor POL-TEC GmbH & Co. KG to supply pistols manufactured by the Czech company Česká zbrojovka (CZ).

The total value of the agreement could reach €56 million and would cover up to 203,000 pistols, along with related kits such as spare magazines and holsters.

The first phase involves the purchase of 65,000 pistols and accessories, with funding requested at approximately €19 million.

Accounting for VAT, equipment costs, and distributor margins, the expected cost per pistol will be well below €200, a level described as competitive for mass procurement.

A separate framework deal for holster and carry systems is planned with Helmut Hoffmann GmbH. That contract could be worth as much as €47 million and cover up to 186,000 carrying systems; the initial order would be for 62,000 units, valued at approximately €15.5 million.

Both pistol and carry-system supplies would be staged annually, at rates of up to 50,000 units a year. Mandatory testing is planned before mass production, including tactical trials and integrated verification of operational characteristics.

Militarnyi previously reported that CZ won the final round of a competition against Arex of Slovenia and Glock of Austria to supply the new P13 pistol.

If confirmed, the contract would allow the Czech firm to produce up to 186,000 pistols for Germany, matching the number of service members expected to receive the weapon. The initial fixed contract is set to include 62,000 pistols.

An official announcement of the winner is expected by the end of 2025, after which deliveries to Bundeswehr units will begin.