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Few firearms look as futuristic as the FN P90, and even fewer have a story as bold. Built for a threat most of the world hadn’t recognized yet, the P90 was engineered for one mission: give operators a compact weapon capable of defeating body armor in tight, chaotic environments.
It didn’t just succeed — it became a legend.
From counter-terror units to presidential protection teams, from secretive agencies to everyday civilian shooters with the PS90, the P90 family has carved out a place in modern firearms history unlike anything else on the market.
Let’s dive into the FULL story — the real missions, the purpose behind its design, who still uses it, and how civilians can own a piece of this futuristic platform.
In the late 1980s, NATO saw the future of close-quarter combat shifting.
Terror groups and enemy forces were wearing soft body armor more frequently. Submachine guns firing 9mm could no longer be relied on to stop armored threats.
NATO demanded a new kind of defensive weapon — a Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) that was:
As compact as an SMG
Capable of piercing armor
Easy for non-infantry personnel to use
Accurate past traditional SMG distances
Lightweight, ambidextrous, and controllable
High-capacity for sustained engagements
FN Herstal delivered a complete system, not just a caliber:
✔ The 5.7×28mm cartridge
✔ The FN P90 platform
This combination changed the blueprint for PDWs forever.
Most protective operations remain classified, but enough is publicly known to paint a clear picture:
The P90 is exceptional in tight spaces, vehicles, motorcades, aircraft, stairwells, and CQB environments where rifles are too long and SMGs lack armor penetration.
Here are standout roles where the P90 made its name:
One of the most iconic users of the P90 is the U.S. Secret Service, specifically their Counter Assault Teams (CAT).
Why they chose it:
Easy to conceal in vehicles
Ideal for tight motorcades
50-round magazine offers massive staying power
Minimal recoil for extreme accuracy
Designed to defeat soft body armor
Controlled bursts in crowded environments
During high-risk presidential visits, agents with P90s have been photographed guarding rooftops, motorcades, and VIP perimeters.
The P90 was built for exactly this type of mission.
Elite units like France’s RAID and Belgium’s DSU carried the P90 during:
Hostage rescues
Raids on terrorist cells
CQB assaults involving armored suspects
Operators valued:
The short bullpup footprint
Incredible control under rapid fire
The ability to penetrate armor up close
Ambidextrous controls in dynamic entry situations
The P90 became a staple tool in European counter-terror operations.
The P90 has been deployed in:
UN peacekeeping missions
Armored security convoys
Helicopter crew roles
Urban checkpoints
Vehicle-borne operations
Its compact size and low recoil shine when operators must maneuver inside armored vehicles or confined urban spaces.
Most PDW designs fizzled out. The P90 didn’t — because nothing matches its combination of:
50-round capacity
Compact bullpup design
Armor-piercing ammunition
Ambidextrous ergonomics
Extremely low recoil
High maneuverability
It fills a niche that rifles and SMGs still struggle with.
With the P90 gaining near-mythological status, civilian demand exploded.
In 2005, FN launched the PS90, a semi-auto version built specifically for the commercial market.
| Feature | FN P90 | FN PS90 |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Mode | Select-fire | Semi-auto only |
| Barrel | 10.4″ | 16″ (rifle-legal) |
| Purpose | Military/LE PDW | Civilian sport & defense |
| Availability | Restricted | Fully civilian-legal |
It is incredibly soft-shooting
Holds 50 rounds in a compact package
Extremely lightweight
Perfect for home defense in tight residential layouts
Highly suppressible
Unique — nothing else feels like it
Collectors, home-defense users, and bullpup fans all gravitated to it because the PS90 is both practical AND iconic.
Yes — perhaps more than ever.
With new ammunition options, improved optics, and continued use by government agencies, the platform remains:
Reliable
Fast
Easy to control
Exceptionally compact
Ideal for CQB and protection roles
No firearm duplicates its exact mission profile even today.
The FN P90 wasn’t designed to be futuristic — it was designed to solve a future problem.
Its engineering was revolutionary:
New caliber
New magazine system
New ergonomics
New tactical purpose
It has protected presidents, ended terror threats, armed special forces, and empowered civilian shooters through the PS90.
More than 30 years later, the P90 still feels like it came from tomorrow — because it did.
