FN P90

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"P90" redirects here. For other uses, see P90 (disambiguation).
P90

Cypriot National Guard carrying an FN P90 during parade in Larnaca
Type Submachine gun
Place of origin Belgium
Service history
In service 1994—
Used by See User base
Production history
Manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal
Variants See Variants
Specifications
Weight
  • 2.5 kg (5.5 lb), empty
  • 3.0 kg (6.6 lb), loaded
Length 500 mm (19.7 in)
Barrel length 259 mm (10.2 in)
Cartridge 5.7 x 28 mm[1]
Action Delayed blowback, closed breech
Rate of fire 900 round/min
Muzzle velocity 716 m/s (2,350 ft/s) with SS190
Effective range 200 m (220 yd)
Feed system 50-round detachable box magazine
Sights Tritium-illuminated reflex sight

The P90 is a submachine gun developed and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN Herstal). It is characterized by an extremely short barrel and a 50 round magazine that is loaded into the top of the gun.

Contents

[edit] Overview

On April 16 1989, NATO issued document D/296 which called for a "personal defense weapon" (PDW) to enter service in the period after the year 2000.[2] The NATO requirement arose due to a problem with existing pistol caliber cartridges becoming increasingly ineffective at disabling troops equipped with body armor. Contemporary assault rifles were capable of piercing modern armor, but the requirement found the need for lighter and more agile weapons for use in close quarters battle (CQB). In order to satisfy this demand for a small but effective weapon, FN Herstal designed and submitted the Project 90 submachine gun and the 5.7 x 28 mm armor-piercing cartridge, developed specifically for the P90.

The P90 entered service in 1994. It is a selective fire, delayed blowback-operated firearm with semi-automatic and fully automatic firing modes. It is fully ambidextrous — it features an ambidextrous fire selector and charging handle, and downward ejection of spent cases. The P90 is built in a unique bullpup configuration that places the 50-round translucent magazine above the weapon, parallel to the barrel (with the rounds perpendicular to the barrel). A circular ramp at the bottom of each magazine re-aligns each round to the barrel. This design makes the weapon extremely compact and maneuverable and the translucent magazine makes it easy to quickly check the number of rounds left. The P90 is constructed largely out of weight-saving polymers. The hammer group resembles the one found in the Steyr AUG, and is comprised primarily of polymers including the hammer. The breechblock is part of the "moving parts group", which contains the twin guide rods, rate of fire stabilizer, recoil buffer, firing pin, and AR-15-style extractor and ejector.

The weapon also has very low recoil, allowing for accurate burst fire. The recoil impulse of 5.7 x 28 mm is approximately one half of 5.56 x 45 mm NATO, while the unique moving parts group further reduces felt recoil through the use of twin recoil springs and the recoil buffer. Upon firing, the barrel itself recoils rearward for about 0.030 of an inch (0.76 mm), enabling the pressure in the barrel to drop to a safe level. The chamber pressure is rated at 50,000 psi for 5.7 x 28 mm FN. Field-stripping the P90 can be done in under 10 seconds without any tools, breaking it apart into 4 major groups: barrel support/optical sight group, moving parts group, hammer group, and the frame/trigger group. The gun's two-stage trigger allows for semi-automatic fire even when the selector is set on fully automatic mode.

Civilian-legal 5.7 x 28 mm rounds. From left to right: SS195LF, SS196SR, and SS197SR. A Zippo lighter is on the right for size comparison.
Enlarge
Civilian-legal 5.7 x 28 mm rounds. From left to right: SS195LF, SS196SR, and SS197SR. A Zippo lighter is on the right for size comparison.

If the operator stores the P90 magazines in a regular magazine pouch, the cartridges can fall out if the magazine is bumped from the bottom. The special FN Herstal P90 magazine pouches have a plastic dust cap that encloses the round part of the magazine. This dust cap can help prevent the cartridges from falling out during high-impact maneuvers. The magazines are not prone to internal cartridge jams.

The SS190 5.7 x 28 mm round has higher penetration abilities than cartridges with similar recoil impulse, and can defeat the standard Warsaw Pact body armor (a layer of titanium and several layers of kevlar) at the ranges listed by the NATO requirement. This is inferior to most rifle rounds, but better than existing common pistol rounds, such as the .45 ACP or .40 S&W. This performance is similar to the 4.6 x 30 mm round used in the Heckler & Koch MP7 PDW. However, both cartridges have suffered much controversy, as some are skeptical of their stopping power against unarmored targets. As there have been few combat firings of the P90, its true effect is yet undetermined, and many special forces such as the SAS and the U.S. Navy SEALs still prefer using traditional weapon systems.

[edit] User base

The P90 is offered for export to military and law enforcement agencies — its sale is denied to the civilians in many countries due to its automatic firing mode and short barrel. Organizations that have adopted the weapon include:

Certain civilian law enforcement teams have also adopted the P90. Of special note, the Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department[3] was the first law enforcement agency in the United States to officially adopt the P90 as their weapon of choice.[4] It is also used by SWAT teams in Washington, D.C.. The Indianapolis, IN SWAT, Halifax Regional Municipality Police Service Emergency Response Team, Montreal Police SWAT teams have a few. Additionally, the P90 was recently seen in action in New Orleans in the weeks following Hurricane Katrina. There has been growing interest in the P90 in various police departments following the aftermath of the hurricane.

[edit] Variants

The weapon comes in several variants. All of them can mount certain optional accessories such as tactical slings, empty case collector bags, bayonets, visible and infrared laser aiming modules (LAM), and tactical flashlights. The military and Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) versions can also accept a Gemtech sound suppressor (model SP-90) that uses a spring-lock system to snap onto the weapon's flash suppressor. The PS90 variant cannot mount this sound suppressor, because its barrel's flash suppressor is incompatible with the spring clip system.

[edit] P90

Features a plastic day and night 1x magnification Ring Sights MC-10-80 reflex sight mounted on a cast aluminum base that can fit an optional Picatinny rail. The day sight shows a large white circle with a smaller circle in the center using ambient light through a translucent fiber optic collector at the front. The night sight is an open "T" reticule that utilizes a tritium module in the rear that shines through a small fiber optic collector. The day sight will tend to wash out on bright surfaces such as white walls, snow, and the sky. The night sight requires total darkness and several moments for the shooter's eyes to adjust to the darkness if transitioning from a bright environment. Essentially, the operator will lose all sight function by transitioning from outdoors into a dark house. Even with a tactical light, the MC-10-80 performs poorly in unlit/dark rooms unless the light is somehow reflected either into the front collector or into the rear collector. If used in a dark environment, aiming at a bright object will cause the tritium lit reticule to wash out. Backup iron sights are designed into both sides of the metal receiver. The P90, P90 USG, and PS90 can be fitted with a MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail to replace the MC-10-80 in case the operator wishes to use aftermarket optics.

[edit] P90 TR

The standard sight receiver houses a triple Picatinny Rail Interface System (RIS), or Triple Rail (TR) for short. There is one full-length rail on the top of the base and two rail "stumps" on the sides. The "stumps" serve as mounting points for accessories such as laser sights or tactical flashlights; the integrated top rail allows for the mounting of aftermarket optics right out of the box. The TR and standard P90 are not interchangeable since the entire receiver assembly is different.

[edit] P90 USG

A fully automatic P90 similar to the standard P90, except with a revised optic system developed based on input by the United States Secret Service and other government agencies. Essentially, the aluminum USG Black sight uses a 100% black reticule that does not require ambient light. The USG Black reticule does not suffer from the same problems as the regular MC-10-80, since the reticule does not "wash out" on bright surfaces. The USG black reticule sight is available for all P90 and PS90 weapons that use a MC-10-80 reflex sight.

[edit] P90 LV and P90 IR

These versions add an integrated laser sight projected from below the barrel. The LV (Laser Visible) variant is equipped with a visible laser, while the IR (infrared) variant has an infrared laser. The lasers have three internal settings: "off", to prevent accidental activation, "low-intensity", for combat training and extended battery life, and "high-intensity", for maximum visibility. The laser on/off switch is a green button located under the trigger grip. The battery compartment is located below this button.

[edit] PS90

PS90 disassembled; the standard P90 disassembles into similar main components.
Enlarge
PS90 disassembled; the standard P90 disassembles into similar main components.
Main article: FN PS90

A semi-automatic "sporter" version designed for the civilian market. It has a 16.04-inch (407 mm) barrel, an olive drab green plastic body (there will be a limited production run of black PS90s), and a MC-10-80 reflex sight identical to that on the standard P90. The MC-10-80 must be removed and replaced by a special top rail in order to use aftermarket optics.

The barrel rifling has 8 grooves, a 1:9 right-hand twist, with a rifled length of 14.8 inches (376 mm), and a full barrel length of 16.04 inches (407 mm) due to the addition of a fixed "birdcage" flash suppressor. The overall length of the PS90 is 26.23 inches (667 mm). The trigger pull is approximately 7.5 to 8 lbf (33 to 36 N).

The receiver assembly is drilled and tapped to accept accessory Picatinny rails on either side. The front swivel sling mount is not included, and installation requires the barrel shroud to be unpinned and removed. It accepts the standard P90 50-round magazines, but ships with a 10- or 30-round magazine depending on local and state regulations. The PS90 weighs 6.4 lb (2.9 kg) empty, and 7.5 lb (3.4 kg) with a fully loaded 50-round magazine.

[edit] Ring Sights MC-10-80 reflex sight

The MC-10-80 reflex sight daytime reticule.
Enlarge
The MC-10-80 reflex sight daytime reticule.

The MC-10-80 reflex sight, developed by Ring Sights, was designed for the FN P90 from the ground up. It is not compatible with any other platform of weapons. It utilizes a forward-aimed fiber optic collector to illuminate the daytime reticule. The daytime reticule consists of a large circle of approximately 180 MOA, with a smaller circle in the center of approximately 20 MOA, which in turn contains a small dot of about MOA in the center. The night reticule consists of a half-T that is primarily illuminated by a tritium module, which glows red/orange. This illumination can easily be observed in a dark environment. The half-T reticule can be seen in the daytime when a strong light source is shined into the rear fiber optic collector. The rear collector was designed to aim up towards the sky to use moonlight or ambient light in the night sky, in conjunction with the tritium to illuminate the reticule.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ P90 SUBMACHINE GUN — FNH USA TACTICAL SYSTEMS
  2. ^ NATO Action Committee AC225
  3. ^ Richland County Sheriff's Department
  4. ^ Richland County Sheriff's Department — Special Response Team

[edit] External links

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