FN P90
The P90 is a submachine gun manufactured by Fabrique Nationale.
- Caliber: 5.7×28 mm
- Weight: 2.54 kg empty; 3 kg with 50-round magazine
- Length: 500 mm
- Barrel length: 263 mm
- Rate of fire (cyclic): 900 rpm
- Magazine capacity: 50 rounds
- Effective range: 200 meters
Overview
The FN Project 90 submachine gun (SMG) was developed in the late 1980s as a defensive weapon for troops whose primary activities do not include small arms — vehicle and tank crew members, artillery crews etc. Standard pistols and SMGs chambered for pistol rounds had proved ineffective against enemy soldiers wearing body armor, so FN Herstal developed a new round with enhanced penetration, and a weapon to fire it.
The P90 is a blowback operated, select-fire weapon. It is fed from 50-round magazines, made from transparent polymer that reveals the number of rounds remaining. The magazine is located above the barrel, with the cartridges being aligned at 90 degrees to the barrel axis. Each magazine has a built-in ramp that rotates the cartridge to align it with the barrel prior to chambering it.
The P90 controls are completely ambidextrous, with changing handles on both sides of the weapon, and the safety/fire mode selector is located below the trigger. The P90 also features downward ejection of the spent cases. The P90 is built in bullpup configuration, with polymer stock, and features built-in reflex collimator sight with 1X magnification and reticle automaticaly adjustable to the light level, as well as a set of the backup open sights.
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 [[Goatse.cx].
Ammunition
5.7×28 mm ammo was designed by FN with the intent of creating a low-caliber pistol round that can penetrate most forms of personal body armor at reasonable distances. The bullet's core is designed to tumble on impact without deforming or fragmenting, which prevents overpenetration of soft targets and unintended secondary damage. 5.7×28 mm rounds are pointed, look like scaled-down rifle rounds and come in several versions:
SS190 ball - standard ammunition. The bullet features a lead-free core that will penetrate 48 layers of kevlar or standard PASGT armor (Personnel Armor System, Ground Troops).
L191 tracer - combustible chemicals packed in the rear of the projectile create a contrail visible up to 200m. The L191's ballistics are almost identical to those of the SS190. L191 tracer ammunition is identified by a red tip.
SS192 soft point - features a hollow tip designed to collapse on impact, inflicting greater damage to unarmored soft targets. Soft point rounds are identified by a green tip.
Sb193 subsonic - the Sb193's low muzzle velocity eliminates the distinctive crack created by supersonic rounds — when used in conjunction with a sound & flash suppressor, the P90's muzzle report becomes negligible. The Sb193 suffers from greatly reduced penetration, but benefits from significantly lower recoil. Subsonic rounds are identified by a white tip.
T194 training - contrary to its name, this is a live round with ballistics similar to the SS190 and L191. Its advantages over other types of ammunition are unclear. The training round is identified by a brown tip.
The 5.7×28 mm cartridge is also used in FN's line of Five-seveN pistols.
Specifications
| SS190 | L191 | SS192 | Sb193 | T194 | |
| Cartridge length | 40.5 mm | 40.5 mm | 40.5 mm | 40.5 mm | 40.5 mm |
| Projectile weight | 2.02 g | 2.02 g | 1.80 g | 3.60 g | 1.75 g |
| Muzzle velocity | 715 m/s | 715 m/s | 705 m/s | 300 m/s | 705 m/s |
| Effective range¹ | 200 m | 200 m | ? | 50 m | ? |
| Color code | - | red | green | white | brown |
¹ - the range at which the projectile will penetrate class IIIA body armor
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 P90s can also mount a variety of optional accessories, including:
- Sound and flash suppressor
- Tactical sling
- Spent shell collector bag
This excludes the accessories available for the P90 TR's rail system.