<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

The FN P90 submachine gun (SMG), the little SMG frequently seen in the series Stargate SG-1, was developed in the late 1980s as a defensive weapon for troops whose primary activities did not include small arms, such as vehicle and tank crew members, artillery crews, and so on.

Standard pistols and SMGs chambered for pistol rounds had proved ineffective against enemy soldiers who wore armor (bulletproof) vests, so FN Herstal developed a new round with enhanced penetration—the SS190. This round looks like a scaled-down 5.56 mm NATO round, and forces the pointed, steel-core bullet to 600–700 meters per second at the muzzle, making it capable of defeating standard CRISAT helmets and armor vests at reasonable distances (50–100 meters).

The P90 is a blowback-operated, selective-fire weapon. It is fed from 50-round box magazines, made from translucent polymer. The magazine is located above the barrel, with the cartridges 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's controls are completely ambidextrous, with charging handles located at the both sides of the weapon. 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 "bull-pup" configuration, with a polymer stock, and features a built-in reflex collimator sight with 1X magnification and reticle automaticaly adjustable to the light level, as well as a set of backup open sights. The P90 may be equipped with a special silencer, which should be used with the special subsonic variant of the 5.7x28 mm cartridge.

The P90 is sometimes referred to as a forerunner of the PDW (Personal Defence Weapon) concept.

Statistics

• Caliber: 5.7x28 mm SS190
• Weight: 2.54 kg empty; 3 kg loaded with magazine with 50 rounds
• Length: 500 mm
• Barrel length: 263 mm
• Rate of fire: 900 rounds per minute
• Magazine capacity: 50 rounds
• Effective range: 200 meters