FN P90

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P90
Technical Summary

Caliber:

5.7 x 28 mm

Action:

Blowback

Mass:

2.5 kg (5.9 lbs) empty
3 kg (6.6 lbs) loaded

Length:

500 mm (20 in)

Barrel length:

263 mm (10 in)

Rate of fire:

900 rpm

Magazine:

50 rounds

Effective range:

200 m

The P90 is a submachine gun manufactured by Fabrique Nationale.

Overview

During the late 1980's FN found that existing pistols and submachine guns were becoming increasingly ineffective against troops wearing body armor. Contemporary assault rifles were capable of fulfilling this task, but they were generally too heavy and bulky to serve as an effective personal defense weapon in tight quarters. To satisfy this demand for a light but effective PDW, FN designed the Project 90 SMG and a new armor-piercing pistol round - 5.7 x 28 mm.

The P90 is designed to accomodate both left and right handed shooters - it features an ambidextrous fire selector and charging handle, and downward ejection of spent shells. It is built in a unique bullpup configuration that places the 50-round magazine above the weapon, parallel to the barrel. A circular ramp at the bottom of each magazine ensures each round is re-aligned to the barrel before being chambered. This design makes the weapon extremely compact and maneuverable. Additionally, the P90 is constructed largely of plastics and polymers, which makes it unusually light.

The P90's 5.7 mm round has excellent penetration abilities, allowing it to defeat most forms of personal body armor at a range of up to 200 meters. This performance rivals that of modern assault rifles, and is unsurpassed by any existing SMG, except perhaps H&K's new MP7.

The P90 is offered for export to military and law enforcement agencies. It is used by the United States, Saudi Arabia, Peruvian Special Forces, special units of Thailand's army and numerous other countries. It is an instantly recognizable weapon that has made appearances as the standard firearm in the television show Stargate SG-1, and in first-person tactical shooter computer games such as Counter-Strike and Rainbow Six.

Variants

The P90 comes in several variants designed to best fit the specific demands of various combat scenarios.

P90 TR - the standard reflex sights are replaced by a triple Picatinny rail-interface system (RIS). There is one full-legth rail on the top of the sight mount and two short ones on the sides. This setup allows the P90 to mount a variety of commercial scopes, lasers and tactical flashlights that are unavailable for use on regular models.

P90 LV/LIR - contains an integrated laser sight. The LV variant is equipped with a visible laser, while the LIR variant has an infra-red laser. The lasers have three settings: off (to prevent accidental activation), low-intensity (combat training and extended battery life) and high-intensity (maximum visibility). The laser on/off switch is a green button located under the trigger grip.

All versions of the P90 can mount certain optional accessories, including:

Sound and flash suppressor
Tactical sling
Spent shell collector bag

This does not include the accessories available for the P90 TR's rail system.

External links

fr:P90 sl:FN P90