Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s iconic 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, were the first to field the new M17 pistol this week.

The era of the Beretta-made M9 for Army leaders is over with the introduction of Sig Sauer’s new Modular Handgun System. A select group of soldiers tested M17s on Monday.

Roughly 2,000 pistols were inventoried and inspected prior to the demonstration.

“This is another 101st first,” Maj. Gen. Andrew P. Poppas, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) commander saidWednesday. “Our 75-year legacy is full of landmark moments like this. […] It is an easy, smooth-firing weapon.”