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Belgium FN Herstal
P90
A compact personal defense weapon with a distinctive bullpup, top-mounted magazine layout, firing the purpose-designed 5.7×28mm cartridge for armor-penetration at close range. Adopted by military and police units in over 40 countries for vehicle crews and rear-echelon personnel.
In service since 1990 · 40 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
200
m range
900
rpm
715
m/s
50
rds
💲 ≈ $1,800 — Approximate military unit price
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Belgium export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Widely fielded · 40 operators
In service since 1990. Status: active · ~300,000 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
Unit cost known; one-shot / small-arms class has no meaningful O&S tail to model.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Effective range
Distance at which the weapon reliably hits point targets. Higher extends engagement envelope.
- 200 m Bottom 8% of rifles
- Rate of fire
Rounds per minute (cyclic). Higher increases suppression and hit probability.
- 900 rpm Stronger than 87% of rifles
- Muzzle velocity
Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.
- 715 m/s Stronger than 14% of rifles
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 5.7×28 mm FN
- Caliber
Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.
- 5.7 mm
- Ammunition
Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.
- 50 Top 9% of rifles
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 0.5 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 3 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 1
- Barrel length
Barrel length — longer improves muzzle velocity and accuracy, shorter improves handling.
- 263 mm
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $1,800 Stronger than 68% of rifles
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 300,000 Stronger than 47% of rifles
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 40 Stronger than 82% of rifles
Specifications compiled from public FN Herstal and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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Tula Arms Plant AEK-971 Frequently asked questions
How many crew does the FN Herstal P90 require? +
The FN Herstal P90 requires a crew of 1.
What is the main armament of the FN Herstal P90? +
The FN Herstal P90's primary weapon is the 5.7×28 mm FN.
What is the FN Herstal P90 used for? +
The FN Herstal P90 is a rifle & long arms typically used for infantry combat.
How many countries operate the FN Herstal P90? +
The FN Herstal P90 is operated by 40 countries.
How much does the FN Herstal P90 cost? +
The FN Herstal P90 has an approximate unit cost of 1,800 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
