FN P90

FN P90
general information
Civil name:	P90
Military designation:	FN P90 (or Project 90)
Developer / Manufacturer:	Fabrique Nationale Herstal
Manufacturer country:	Belgium
Production time:	since 1990
Model variants:	PS 90, P90 Triple Rail
Weapon Category:	Personal Defense Weapon
Furnishing
Overall length:	500 mm
Total height:	210 mm
Total width:	55 mm
Weight: (unloaded)	2.5 kg
Barrel length :	250 mm
Technical specifications
Caliber :	5.7 x 28 mm
Possible magazine fillings :	50 cartridges
Ammunition supply :	Magazine box
Cadence :	900 rounds / min
Fire types:	Single and continuous fire
Visor :	Open sights
Mounting system:	Picatinny rail
Charging principle:	Recoil loader
Lists on the subject

The FN P90 is a personal defense weapon from the Belgian company Fabrique Nationale Herstal . It should be used to equip units that do not directly take part in combat operations. These so-called combat support troops include, for example, technicians, utilities, vehicle crews and cooks. The vast majority of soldiers in a modern army are in such use. An assault rifle as armament would be too heavy, too unwieldy and too expensive for them, not least because these support troops have no need for the high range of a full-fledged long weapon. On the other hand, conventional submachine guns with the usual 9 × 19 mm caliber do not offer sufficient firepower against modern protective vests . That is why the FN P90 was developed, which is a particularly concise attempt to combine the advantages of a submachine gun (handiness, costs) with a relatively high penetration force that almost comes close to that of an assault rifle.

development

The main reason for the development of this weapon was the ineffectiveness of the pistol ammunition normally used by submachine guns compared to modern protective vests . As early as 1979, the 5,45 × 18 mm cartridge was developed in the Soviet Union, which was able to penetrate 55 layers of Kevlar compared to the 9 × 18 mm used until then .

In the period that followed, NATO also began to worry about the importance of protective vests on the battlefield and informal inquiries were made to the industry. Customary small-caliber assault rifles are also fired from weapons the size of a submachine gun with sufficient penetration. In addition to the advantage of the uniform ammunition, there are also some disadvantages, such as the poor use of the energy of the propellant charge in the short MP barrel. If parts of the propellant charge leave the barrel unused and produce a strong muzzle flash, this indicates that rifle cartridges must be optimized in terms of weight when firing from an MP.

As a result, the armaments companies FN from Belgium and GIAT from France invested in the development of new ammunition which should exceed the penetration capacity of the 9 × 19 mm. While GIAT only developed the 5.7 × 22 mm cartridge , FN also designed the P90 submachine gun for the 5.7 × 28 mm , which was later supplemented with the Five-Seven self-loading pistol .

design

In terms of construction and design, the P90 is a weapon that bears no resemblance to a conventional submachine gun. Its striking, futuristic appearance has little of the original design of common infantry weapons: its two grips only consist of two recesses into which the shooter has to reach in order to pull the large trigger. Also, only the flash hider of the barrel, which is almost completely surrounded by the housing, protrudes from the rather clumsy housing at the front . An additional silencer can be attached. The nose under the muzzle is designed to prevent the hand from accidentally getting in front of the muzzle when firing.

technology

The FN P90 is a shooting recoil loader , so the bolt closes again immediately after the shot has been fired, whereby the next cartridge is inserted into the chamber. This means that the shooter is not disturbed by the movement of the slide in the event of a single fire and can better hold the weapon on target. Due to the bullpup construction , a longer barrel length is achieved for better accuracy and penetration with the smallest possible overall length. A fire selector lever for single fires and bursts of fire as well as the safety device can be found in the form of a rotary switch under the trigger. In the event that the red dot sight fails, there is on both sides of the gun still standard visor chines to shoot on both sides. As an option, a laser can be factory-integrated into the housing on the front under the muzzle, which can be activated with a push-button integrated into the handle. In addition, there is a Picatinny rail on the right-hand side , on which further aiming aids ( laser , Taclight ) can be mounted.

The FN P90 is now in service in more than 40 countries and has been / is being tested by numerous other countries.

magazine

For the ammunition supply, a possibility was sought that avoids an obstruction by a magazine protruding from the weapon and at the same time is as simple and reliable as possible, i.e. largely dispenses with moving parts.

Bar and cam magazines of conventional design were therefore out of the question . One then dealt with various already known constructions. One of them was also developed by FN. This is a magazine that is attached from above and uses two springs from both ends of the rod magazine to compress the cartridges in the middle and insert them into the weapon through a corresponding opening. Humps within the magazine are used to control the feed. The advantage here is that the center of gravity of the weapon does not shift, the disadvantage that the cartridges are positioned transversely to the direction of fire. The second development comes from John Hill and deals with the rotation of transversely mounted cartridges within the weapon. In his patent specification, filed in 1949, Hill relied on a roller operated by the weapon function.

The references to illustrations of the magazine and parts thereof given below can be found in the attached itemization.

The magazine essentially consists of two areas. The first is rectangular and is used to store the cartridges, the second is cylindrical and is used to feed the cartridges.

Infeed area of the magazine

Within the first area, the cartridges are stored transversely to the direction of movement and in two rows one above the other. Ribs (no. 24) in the magazine wall serve as guides for the cartridges. The cartridges are pushed towards the second area by a spring (No. 54) with a feeder (No. 55–59) . In the second area, the magazine becomes a single row. The cartridges remain transverse to the direction of movement, but are now moved downwards through a bend within the magazine. After a few millimeters you reach an inclined ramp (no. 44) , which serves as a compulsory curve and rotates the cartridge so that the bullet points in the muzzle direction. The cartridge hangs on the magazine lips and is carried along by the moving bolt and inserted into the chamber.

However, since the magazine spring can only exert pressure in a straight line, cartridges should theoretically remain in the feed part of the magazine. As can be seen from the partial drawings in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 , the feeder moves into the second area and folds downwards, but cannot reach the ramp. This problem was solved by having two dummies ( nos. 60 and 61 ) in the magazine. These two plastic bodies transfer the pressure within the feeder to the last cartridge.

The magazine is in series production from clear amber-colored polycarbonate plastic, early prototypes also exist in clear white. This enables quick fill level control.

The magazine change takes slightly longer than with other weapons, since the magazine does not fall out of the weapon at the push of a button, but has to be removed.

The empty tubes are ejected on the underside through the rear, hollow handle. As an addition, you can attach a collecting container for the empty cartridge cases to the ejection. Since the FN P90 ejects the cartridge cases downwards, it can also be fired from both shoulders, which makes the MP equally suitable for right and left-handers.

ammunition

A new ammunition with a caliber of 5.7 × 28 mm was specially developed for the FN P90, which has significantly better flight characteristics than the older 9 mm Parabellum. The new 5.7 × 28 mm ammunition combines a high penetration power with a great stopping effect thanks to its favorable projectile shape and center of gravity . The recoil and upbeat of the weapon are low, which makes it easier to control with continuous fire. This type of ammunition is also used for the Five-seveN pistol .

User states

Peruvian soldier with an FN P90 in 2012

Libya - Libya ordered 367 P90s among others as part of a larger arms deal in 2008 .
Belgium Belgium - Belgium ordered 53 FN P90s, 48 of which are used for personal protection (mainly embassy protection) and five as reserve. Furthermore, the former Gendarmerie / Rijkswacht of Belgium used 114 weapons of this type for special tasks, for example protecting the transport of valuables.
Luxembourg Luxembourg - The special unit Unité Spéciale de la Police of the Police Grand-Ducale uses this weapon.
Peru Peru - Various units of various branches of the armed forces.
United States United States - The US Secret Service as well as some law enforcement agencies and special forces, such as the SWAT of the Houston Police, use the FN P90.
Thailand Thailand - The weapon has been in use by the Thai armed forces since the early 1990s .
Turkey Turkey - The anti-terrorist unit of the Turkish Jandarma and the special unit of the Turkish police as well as the security forces of the Turkish Prime Minister use this submachine gun.
Austria Austria - The P90 is used by the Jagdkommando and the Military Patrol & Police Command .