 |
| Caliber |
5.7 x 28 mm |
| Weight (empty) |
2.54 kg |
| Length |
500 mm |
| Barrel length |
263 mm |
| Muzzle velocity |
850 m/s |
| Cyclic rate of fire |
900 rpm |
| Practical rate of fire |
50 – 150 rpm |
| Magazine capacity |
50 rounds |
| Sighting range |
150 m |
| Range of effective fire |
200 m |
|
The P90 submachine gun was developed in the late 1980s by the Belgian Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal. It was intended as a personal defense weapon for non-frontline troops, vehicle drivers, tank and artillery crews. The FN P90 appeared in the early 1990s. At the time of it’s introduction it was considered as a new generation weapon. It was the first personal defense weapon and took intermediate position between SMGs and assault rifles. About 20 000 of these submachine guns were sold for military operators and law enforcement forces worldwide. Currently it is in service with Belgium and about 25 export operators.
The FN P90 SMG is a clean sheet design. It is a blowback operated, selective fire weapon with bullpup layout, which fires from closed bolt. This PDW is
chambered for a newly-developed 5.7 x 28
mm low-impulse and high-velocity ammunition with sharp nose bullets. This round has enhanced penetration comparing with 9 x 19 mm pistol round and is effective against body armor at
ranges of 100 m and beyond. It resembles
a scaled-down standard NATO 5.56 x 45 mm round. This weapon penetrates a standard US Army helmet at a range of
150 m.