Portuguese Army Adopts Glock G17

The Portuguese Army adopted the Glock 17 Gen 5 as its official duty sidearm, a decision rendered after the NATO Support and Procurement Agency launched a tender earlier this year. Glock competed against several major manufacturers in the search for a new handgun, and the Austrian gunmaker was officially awarded the contract in July.

“We are proud to be selected to support the missions of the Portuguese Army with the latest generation of Glock pistols,” said Richard Flür, director of international sales at Glock GmbH. “The Portuguese Army is among multiple military and law enforcement entities which Glock strongly supports in the region, and we are excited to welcome them to the Glock family.”

The Portuguese Army selected the G17 Gen 5 in a custom coyote color as the ideal solution for the new duty weapon. The reversible magazine catch and ambidextrous slide-stop lever offer flexibility to meet the needs of both left- and right-handed shooters. The pistol also features the company’s Marksman Barrel for increased accuracy and precision, a lanyard loop, the Gen 5 enhanced trigger system, front serrations and Glock night sights.

Joao Bravo, CEO of Sodarca—a distributor that helped support Glock in the competition—said, “This public competition has been expected for several years and has been finally concluded successfully with the best option possible.”

The company indicated there are no plans to release the coyote-colored variation of the G17 Gen 5 selected by the Portuguese Army to the commercial market at this time.

The Portuguese Army was established nearly 900 years ago, making it one of the oldest in the world. It consists of roughly 35,000 people in uniform, with another 2,000 civilians who serve as support personnel. Its units have been deployed to Afghanistan most recently, but have also served in peacekeeping missions in Lebanon, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia, Angola and many more.