On July 20, 2025, the Air Force reported that Airman Brayden Lovan, 21, died at F.E. Warren AFB when an M18 spontaneously discharged while he was on duty with the 90th Security Forces Squadron. Days later, Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) paused M18 use command-wide, ordered 100% inspections, and shifted to rifles while the investigation proceeded.
In 2017, the Pentagon chose the M18 and M17 (full-size version) to replace the M9 sidearm, which had been standard issue since 1985. The M17 and M18 are modified versions of SIG Sauer’s P320 pistol, and SIG received a 10-year contract to supply the handgun system to all branches of service. The Army was the first too receive them and requested modifications, including an ambidextrous manual safety. The Air Force followed with a 2020 purchase of about 125,000 M18s for $22.1 million.
While the Department of Defense rolled out the M17/M18, civilians were charging that the weapon was dangerously defective. SIG Sauer’s P320, some said, was firing without the trigger being pulled. In November 2024, a Philadelphia jury awarded $11 million to a veteran who said his holstered P320 fired spontaneously. A federal appeals court recently revived an ICE officer’s P320 case, allowing expert testimony on design issues. New Hampshire also passed a law making certain product-liability claims harder, a win for the company’s home-state manufacturer. And this week, Houston Police Department directed officers to replace P320s following a lawsuit by an officer injured in an alleged uncommanded discharge.
Then came Airman Brayden Lovan’s death on July 20.
Was the M18 dangerously flawed? If Reddit is a guide, many knowledgeable gun owners were convinced it was.
But then, on August 8, the Air Force said an Airman has been arrested in connection with Lovan’s death, on suspicion of making a false official statement, obstruction of justice, and involuntary manslaughter. It seems the gun didn’t discharge on its own after all.
Given the arrest, will the M18 return to duty with the Air Force Global Strike Command? The best guess is it probably will, unless a systemic mechanical defect unique to the M18 emerges. Keep in mind the Army and even the rest of the Air Force are continuing their use of the M17/M18.
The arrest of the unnamed Airman signals that investigators may be focusing on human factors or misconduct rather than a pistol that “fired on its own.”
Update: Air & Space Forces Magazine reported on November 1, 2026, that Airman 1st Class Marcus White‑Allen at 90th Security Forces Squadron was determined to have fabricated a story to conceal that he shot his fellow airman, Brayden Lovan, in the chest with a 9 mm Sig Sauer M18 pistol on 20 July 2025 at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. After the fatal shooting, other airmen were instructed to lie to investigators, giving alternate accounts (e.g., a holster discharged or belt hit a desk) before the truth emerged.
