Fabrique Nationale FN P90

Fabrique Nationale FN P90 History

The Fabrique Nationale FN P90 is a "personal defense weapon" of Belgian origin with characteristics similar to submachine guns (SMGs) and assault rifles. The weapon was originally developed for armed auxiliary indirect combat units, such as vehicle crews, couriers and employees within the military, and is equipped with a powerful individual stopper. Like many other current and emerging automatic weapons, the P90 is arranged as a "bull-fight" offensive weapon, with the action and magazine feed concentrated behind the trigger assembly. This allows the full length barrel to be used with a more compact package.

The result of this pairing is a sturdy, slightly oversized stock with an integrated pistol grip and carrying handle. Due to its compact footprint, the P90 is the ideal weapon for second-line troops that do not rely on full-length assault rifles.

The design is credited to Stephane Ferrard, who started production in 1986 and mass-produced in 1990 by the historic Belgian group Fabrique Nationale de Herstal.

An interesting physical feature of the P90 is its translucent, rotatable 50-round polycarbonate magazine. This is mounted on the receiver with the chuck above the butt. A single cartridge is conventionally fed into the magazine and automatically rotates to a 90-degree angle to the receiver. The spent cartridges are ejected through the opening in the bottom of the pistol grip. The loading handle is located on the side of the receiver, in front of the trigger group, and can be operated with either hand due to its ambidextrous design.

Safety/shooting controls are located near the bottom of the handle. The barrel is made of forged steel and sealed with a muzzle flash suppressor. The entire body structure of the P90 consists primarily of high-tolerance alloys and polymers.

The P90 supports the use of silencers, which can be combined with subsonic ammunition for quieter operation - a particularly useful feature for agents. The weapon also features selective fire through single-shot and fully automatic fire.

The included rail system accommodates various optics and ranges as required.

Unlike other submachine guns of Western origin that focus on the ubiquitous German 9mm Parabellum pistol cartridge, the P90 is designed to fire a dedicated high-speed 5.7x28mm (SS190 ball) cartridge. These cartridges are sure to maintain their unique look when placed with the 9mm and 5.56mm types.

The pistol grip, optical sight (low light and daylight use, no magnification) and trigger guard are all inherent parts of the P90 design. Field stripping breaks down the system into four main parts.

The oversized stock also helps the shooter improve stability when shooting from the shoulder with both hands. Recoil is very low, as is the muzzle flash, which has a range of up to 656 feet.

The P90 has since appeared in various roles - military, security/police, civilian. The two main variants are the P90 Standard and the P90 Tactical. Sub-variants with subtle changes and additions have also been introduced.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes