The US Air Force has undertaken some limited testing of what appears to be the MCK EVO from CAA as the Isolated Personnel Lethality Optimization, or IPLO, device. A USAF release reported that nine Airmen from various Air Force units tested the IPLO system at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawai‘i.The MCK EVO kit allows the Air Forces’ M18 pistols to be mounted in a chassis that is intended to provide additional stability and rifle-like handling while remaining compact enough to fit in an aircrew survival kit.In April, an Airman from the California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing, and eight others from an Air Force Reserve fighter unit and Air National Guard units in Alabama and Hawai’i gathered to test the Isolated Personnel Lethality Optimization, or IPLO, conversion kit. “The purpose of the IPLO proof of concept event was to get aviators from F-22, F-35 and HC-130J communities together, conduct a safe but minimal amount of training, put the weapon system through its paces and see how it performed,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Niul Manske, commander of the 131st Rescue Squadron and chairman of the 2025 Air Reserve Component Weapons and Tactics Conference Isolated Personnel Working Group.The Air Force release explains that “aircrew have limited space for survival equipment, making the size and weight of anything added to their kits an important consideration. The IPLO was developed as a lightweight, low-cost accessory that can be quickly paired with the standard-issue M18 pistol.”“It’s very simple for people to employ without much training at all and increases accuracy at a further range,” said Maj. Cole Temmen, a combat systems officer with the 130th Rescue Squadron at the 129th Rescue Wing. U.S. Air Force Maj. Cole Temmen, a C-130 pilot assigned to the 129th Rescue Wing, shoots a M18 pistol with an attached isolated personnel lethality optimization (IPLO) device, during a proof of concept event, at Hawaii Air National Guard Base, on April 21, 2026. Temmen's shooting accuracy, precision, speed improved with using the conversion kit. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Serena Smith) During the testing, the Airmen compared their accuracy under varying levels of stress, comparing their performance with and without the IPLO. According to the USAF release the IPLO “increased accuracy up to 50% and speed up to 60%”. The project was undertaken by the 129th Rescue Wing, ARCWERX, the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Test Center and the Air Reserve Component Weapons and Tactics Conference Isolated Personnel Working Group. This collaboration moved the IPLO concept from an idea to operational use in less than 160 days. The release concludes that “if adopted more broadly, the IPLO could provide Air Force aircrew with a compact addition to their survival kits designed to improve their ability to protect themselves while awaiting rescue.” M4 side-by-side with the ASDW GAU-5A disassembled (USAF) Traditionally, aircrew carry sidearms, while some aircraft carry compact survival rifles like the GAU-5/A Aircrew Self Defence Weapons (ASDW), adopted in 2018. The MCK EVO from CAA is available off-the-shelf, making for a cost-effective, smaller alternative for aircrew, but it lacks the capabilities of systems like the 5.56x45mm ASDW.H/T - Abraxas Spa