FN P90

The FN P90 is a Belgian personal defense weapon developed by the Fabrique Nationale de Herstal arms company and introduced in 1990, designed around a purpose-built small-caliber, high-velocity cartridge, the 5.7x28mm, intended to give vehicle crews, support personnel and other troops who do not carry a full-size rifle a compact weapon still capable of defeating body armor at moderate range, a niche the design's creators termed the personal defense weapon category. Its distinctive bullpup layout places the fifty-round magazine flat along the top of the weapon rather than beneath it, feeding rounds down into the action and allowing a compact overall length without sacrificing magazine capacity, while an ambidextrous ejection system lets the weapon be fired comfortably from either shoulder. The P90's futuristic, largely polymer construction and unconventional layout have made it a recognizable weapon in popular film and video games as well as genuine service use by NATO and other military, police and special-forces units around the world.