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122-826: A mitraillette ( French pronunciation: [mitʁajɛt] , literally " submachine gun ") is a type of sandwich in Belgium commonly served at friteries and cafés . It is popular among students. It is thought to have originated in Brussels , but is also popular in Flanders , Wallonia , and the Nord region of France , where it is also known as an " Américain " (literally an "American"). A typical mitraillette consists of: Crudités may be included (grated carrot , fresh lettuce , tomato slices), as well as cheese and cabbage . Originally mitraillettes contained only

244-412: A pistol grip , as well as an oversized trigger guard that acts as a foregrip for the shooter's support hand. The P90 fires from a closed bolt for maximum accuracy, and its design makes extensive use of polymers for reduced weight and cost. Overall, the weapon is relatively lightweight, weighing 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) empty, or 3 kg (6.6 lb) with a loaded 50-round magazine. The P90

366-789: A telescoping bolt that extends forward wrapping around the barrel, and a vertical handgrip housing the magazine and trigger mechanism. The vz. 23 series was widely exported and especially popular in Africa and the Middle East with variants made by several countries. The vz. 23 inspired the development of the Uzi submachine gun . In 1949, France introduced the MAT-49 to replace the hodgepodge of French, American, British, German, and Italian SMGs in French service after World War II. The 9 mm Parabellum MAT-49

488-560: A battery life of 250 hours when used on the Training setting, or a life of 50 hours when used on the Combat setting. The PS90 is a semi-automatic carbine variant of the P90, intended for civilian shooters for personal protection and sporting use; it was introduced in 2005, and continues to be offered in several configurations. The PS90 will accept the standard 50-round P90 magazines, but

610-403: A black oxide finish is built according to MIL-SPECs , including saltwater corrosion resistance . It has a length of 184 mm (7.2 in), a diameter of 35 mm (1.4 in) and a weight of 680 g (1.50 lb). When subsonic ammunition is used in conjunction with the suppressor, it reduces the sound signature of the P90 by 33  dB . A small case collector pouch for the P90

732-405: A complete break with previous Beretta designs. It is a small, compact, very well made SMG and among the first to use a telescoping bolt design. The M12 was designed for mass production and was made largely of stamped steel and welded together. It is identified by its tubular shape receiver, double pistol grips, a side folding stock and the magazine housed in front of the trigger guard. The M12 uses

854-696: A copy of the Israeli UZI SMG magazine, modified to fit the Colt and lock the bolt back after the last shot. The Colt was widely used by US law enforcement and the USMC . In 1999, H&K introduced the UMP "Universal Machine Pistol" . The UMP is a 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP, closed-bolt blowback-operated SMG, based on the H&;K G36 assault rifle. It features a predominantly polymer construction and

976-608: A different sight. The P90 LV (Laser Visible) and P90 IR (InfraRed) models, both of which were introduced in late 1995, have an integrated laser sight manufactured by Laserex Technologies in Australia. The P90 LV model projects an 8 mW visible laser intended to be used as a low-light shooting aid or for dissuasive effect, while the P90 IR model projects a 4.5 mW infrared laser that can only be seen with night vision equipment . Both laser systems are compact, consisting of

1098-632: A failed attempt to storm the Tallinn barracks . Some of the defenders were armed with the MP18s ; and this was possibly the first engagement where submachine guns were used on both sides. Germany transferred its MP 18s to the German police forces after World War I. They also saw use in the hands of various paramilitary Freikorps during the aftermath of the German Revolution . In the 1920s

1220-427: A fixed stock (as opposed to having a collapsing or folding stock ), it can be quickly deployed when needed. The weapon's smooth, rounded contours prevent it from snagging on the shooter's clothing or equipment, and a small vertical protrusion is provided at the front end of the weapon's frame to prevent the shooter's hand from accidentally slipping in front of the muzzle while shooting. A hollow compartment inside

1342-564: A friterie in Etterbeek sells Belgium's longest mitraillette, measuring 130 centimetres (51 in). Submachine gun The submachine gun was developed during World War I (1914–1918) as a close quarter offensive weapon, mainly for trench raiding . At its peak during World War II (1939–1945), millions of submachine guns were made for assault troops and auxiliaries whose doctrines emphasized close-quarter suppressive fire . New submachine gun designs appeared frequently during

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1464-515: A high degree of parts commonality with parent weapons, thereby easing logistical concerns. In 1982, Colt introduced the Colt 9mm SMG based on the M16 rifle . The Colt SMG is a closed bolt, blowback operated SMG and the overall aesthetics are identical to most M16 type rifles. The magazine well is modified using a special adapter to allow the use of the smaller 9mm magazines. The magazines themselves are

1586-644: A longer barrel . In 1915, the Kingdom of Italy adopted Revelli's design as the FIAT Mod. 1915 . It fired pistol-caliber 9mm Glisenti ammunition, but was not a true submachine gun, as it was originally designed as a mounted weapon. In late 1915, the first submachine gun with a buttstock was built: the Austro-Hungarian Standschütze Hellriegel M1915 although the weapon was never used in combat. In February 1916,

1708-604: A lot more controllable. It could be configured to fire either .45 ACP or 9mm Luger ammunition. The M3A1 was among the longest-serving submachine gun designs, being produced into the 1960s and serving in US forces into the 1990s. France produced only about 2,000 of the MAS-38 submachine gun (chambered in 7.65×20mm Longue ) before the Fall of France in June 1940. Production was taken over by

1830-567: A lot of bullets and most of the killing in Korea was done at very close ranges and it was done quickly—a matter of who responded faster. In situations like that it outclassed and outgunned what we had. A close-in patrol fight was over very quickly and usually we lost because of it." U.S. servicemen, however, felt that their M2 carbines were superior to the PPSh-41 at the typical engagement range of 100–150 meters. Other older designs also saw use in

1952-526: A magazine adapted to use the shortened ammunition, was then introduced in the same year. Several special cartridge variations were developed, such as the L191 tracer round and the SB193 subsonic round for use with a sound-suppressed P90. In 2002 and 2003, NATO conducted a series of tests with the intention of standardizing a PDW cartridge as a replacement for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge. The tests compared

2074-563: A muzzle velocity of roughly 716 m/s (2,350 ft/s, Mach 2) and can penetrate the NATO CRISAT vest or a Level IIIA Kevlar vest at a range of 200 m (220 yd). FN states an effective range of 200 m (220 yd) and a maximum range of 1,800 m (2,000 yd) for the 5.7×28mm cartridge when fired from the P90. In testing conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1999,

2196-508: A new, more reliable box magazine was developed for the MP 18 to replace the older snail-drum magazines. In 1928 a new version of the MP 18, the MP 28, saw the light of day, it featured the new box magazine as standard, a bayonet lug and a single shot mode. The MP 28 was manufactured in Belgium and Spain and was widely exported from there, including to China and South America. Another variant based on

2318-411: A prominent Chinese combat tactic in the conflict. The gun's ability to deliver large quantities of short-range automatic assault fire proved very useful in both defense and assault during the early part of the war when it was constantly mobile and shifting back and forth. Many Chinese Thompsons were captured and placed into service with American soldiers and marines for the remaining period of the war. In

2440-518: A quick-release barrel and butt-stock, double pistol grips, top-mounted magazine, and unusual offset right-side-mounted sights. The Owen was the only entirely Australian-designed and constructed service submachine gun of World War II and was used by the Australian Army from 1943 until the mid-1960s, when it was replaced by the F1 submachine gun . Only about 45,000 Owens were produced during the war for

2562-513: A sausage or sliced meat. Alternatives quickly became available. After the Brussels bombings in March 2016, images of the sandwich were shared across social media in Belgium and abroad as a sign of friendship and humour. In December 2020, former Top Chef (France) contestant Jean-Philippe Watteyne opened a pop-up mitraillette restaurant in Mons. In November 2021, DH Les Sports + reported that

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2684-646: A side folding stock. The m/45 was widely exported and especially popular with CIA operatives and U.S. special forces during the Vietnam War. In U.S. service it was known as the "Swedish-K". In 1966, the Swedish government blocked the sale of firearms to the United States because it opposed the Vietnam War . As a result, in the following year Smith & Wesson began to manufacture an m/45 clone called

2806-580: A small, flat panel integrated into the front end of the weapon's frame. The Laserex P90 laser systems have a weight of 131 grams (0.289 lb; 4.6 oz), and they are activated by means of a green pressure switch located on the underside of the weapon's pistol grip. The lasers can be configured for three different internal settings: Off  – disabled to prevent accidental activation, Training  – low intensity for eye safety and extended battery life in training, or Combat  – high intensity for maximum visibility. The Laserex P90 laser systems have

2928-563: A tiny dot inside of a small ring, which was joined by three posts that glowed red in low light conditions due to tritium-illumination. The USG reflex sight could be removed and replaced with a special MIL-STD-1913 ( Picatinny ) rail mount for attaching a different sight, and like other models of the PS90, the USG was available with either an olive drab or black frame. As of 2011, the PS90 USG model

3050-663: A total of 653 units, though U.S. customs authorities in New York seized 495 of the units in June 1921. The Thompson, nicknamed "Tommy Gun" or "Chicago Typewriter" became notorious in the U.S. due to its employment by the Mafia : the image of pinstripe-suited James Cagney types wielding drum-magazine Thompsons caused some military planners to shun the weapon. However, the FBI and other U.S. police forces themselves showed no reluctance to use and prominently display these weapons. Eventually,

3172-510: A traditional wooden stock , a 25-round top-fed box magazine , and had a cyclic rate of fire of 900 rounds per minute. By 1918, Bergmann Waffenfabrik had developed the 9x19mm Parabellum MP 18 , the first practical submachine gun. This weapon used the same 32-round snail-drum magazine as the Luger P-08. The MP 18 was used in significant numbers by German stormtroopers employing infiltration tactics , achieving some notable successes in

3294-488: A trigger mechanism with a three-position rotary dial fire control selector, located at the foot of the trigger. The dial has three settings: S  – safe, 1  – semi-automatic fire, and A  – fully automatic fire. When set on A , the P90's fire selector provides a two-stage trigger operation similar to that of the Steyr AUG assault rifle—pulling the trigger back slightly produces semi-automatic fire, and pulling

3416-450: A typical 9×19mm cartridge—allowing the same number of rounds to be carried for less weight, or allowing more rounds to be carried for the same weight. Since the 5.7×28mm cartridge has a relatively small diameter, an unusually high number of cartridges can be contained in a magazine. The cartridge has a loud report and produces considerable muzzle flash (when fired from a pistol), but it produces roughly 30 percent less recoil than

3538-549: A unique horizontally mounted feeding system—patented in the United States—that contributes to the weapon's compact profile and unusual appearance. U.S. Patent 4,905,394 ("Top mounted longitudinal magazine") was awarded in 1990, naming René Predazzer as the sole inventor. The detachable box magazine is mounted parallel to the P90's barrel, fitting flush with the top of the weapon's frame, and it contains 50 rounds of ammunition which lie in two rows facing left, offset 90° from

3660-731: A unit cost of about A$ 30. While most other countries during World War II developed submachine guns, the Empire of Japan had only produced one, the Type 100 submachine gun , based heavily on the German MP28. Like most other small arms created in Imperial Japan, the Type 100 could be fitted with the Type 30 bayonet . It used the 8×22mm Nambu cartridge, which was about half as powerful as a standard Western 9mm Parabellum round. Production of

3782-496: A variety of different conditions. The P90 has provisions for mounting a number of different types of accessories, including tactical lights and laser aiming devices . A sling can be attached to the P90 for greater ease of carry, or it can be fitted with various sound suppressors such as the Gemtech SP90 , which was designed specifically for the weapon in cooperation with FN Herstal. This stainless steel suppressor with

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3904-437: A weight of 3.4 kg (7.5 lb) with a fully loaded 50-round magazine. Due to the added barrel length, the PS90 can achieve a muzzle velocity of up to 777 metres per second (2,550 ft/s) with SS195LF ammunition, or up to 930 metres per second (3,100 ft/s) with third-party ammunition. The PS90 Standard is the current model of the PS90 offered by FN Herstal. It features a MIL-STD-1913 ( Picatinny ) rail fitted to

4026-418: Is cold hammer-forged and chrome-lined , with an overall length of 263 mm (10.4 in). The barrel has eight rifling grooves with a right-hand twist rate of 1:231 mm (1:9.1 in), and it is equipped with a diagonally cut flash suppressor that also acts as a recoil compensator. The stated service life of the barrel is 20,000 rounds. The P90 uses an internal hammer striking mechanism and

4148-418: Is an inexpensive stamped-steel SMG with a telescoping wire stock, a pronounced folding magazine housing, and a grip safety. This "wildebeast-like design" proved to be an extremely reliable and effective SMG and was used by the French well into the 1980s. It was also widely exported to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In 1954, Israel introduced a 9mm Parabellum open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine gun called

4270-416: Is available which fits over the ejection port and collects spent cases as they are ejected downward; the pouch will collect up to one hundred cases before filling. The P90 TR (Triple Rail) model, also known as the "flat-top," was introduced in late 1999. It features a receiver -mounted triple MIL-STD-1913 ( Picatinny ) rail interface system, or "Triple Rail," for mounting accessories. Also, instead of

4392-782: Is based on the AK-74 rifle and offers a high degree of parts commonality with the AK-74. It is the standard submachine gun for all branches of Russian military and police forces. In 2009, KRISS USA introduced the KRISS Vector family of submachine guns. Futuristic in appearance, the KRISS uses an unconventional delayed blowback system combined with in-line design to reduce perceived recoil and muzzle climb . The KRISS comes in 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 9×21mm, 10mm Auto, and .357 SIG. It also uses standard Glock pistol magazines. By

4514-402: Is located directly at the foot of the trigger, where it can be operated from either side by the shooter's trigger finger or support hand thumb. When fired, the P90 ejects spent cartridge casings downward through a chute located behind the grip, so spent cases are kept out of the shooter's line of sight . The P90 can be fitted with a sling for greater ease of carry, and since the weapon has

4636-427: Is no longer listed by FNH USA, but the USG reflex sight is still offered as a standalone accessory. Despite being originally intended as a defensive weapon for military personnel whose primary role is not fighting with small arms (such as vehicle drivers), most sales of the P90 have been to special forces and counter-terrorist groups who use it for offensive roles. In 1997, suppressed P90s were used in combat by

4758-409: Is notable for being fully ambidextrous —it can be operated by right or left-handed shooters with equal ease, and without making any modifications to the weapon. FN Herstal has described it as the "first fully ambidextrous individual automatic weapon." The charging handle , magazine release and backup iron sights are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the weapon, and the firing selector

4880-539: Is regulated as “Title II”, and special certification is required in most states. As with all factory standard PS90 receivers special welding is in place to complicate full auto conversion. The PS90 TR is now discontinued. It featured a "Triple Rail" receiver assembly identical to that of the P90 TR. The top of the receiver consisted of an MIL-STD-1913 ( Picatinny ) rail, allowing the shooter to mount their preferred optical sight. Two polymer side rails—one on each side of

5002-468: Is semi-automatic, with a trigger pull of approximately 31–36 newtons (7.0–8.1 lb f ). The lengthened barrel has eight rifling grooves, with a right-hand twist rate of 1:229 mm (1:9 in) and a rifled length of 376 mm (14.8 in); the muzzle is equipped with a fixed "birdcage" type flash suppressor . Despite the added barrel length, the PS90 is relatively compact and lightweight, with an overall length of 667 mm (26.3 in), and

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5124-401: Is similar to the standard P90, except the reflex sight housing is aluminium, and the sight has a revised reticle . The black reticle consists of a tiny dot inside of a small ring, which is joined by three posts that glow red in low light conditions due to tritium -illumination. The USG reflex sight can be removed and replaced with a special MIL-STD-1913 ( Picatinny ) rail mount for attaching

5246-571: Is that this weapon was originally designed as an aircraft gun. In reality ground use was taken into consideration from the very beginning, particularly for the Bersaglieri 's cyclist battalions . Stocked pistols were common at the beginning of the 20th century, the Germans initially used heavier versions of the P08 pistol equipped with a detachable stock, larger-capacity snail- drum magazine and

5368-572: The .45ACP Mac-10 and .380 ACP Mac-11 , were developed to be used with silencers or suppressors . While these SMGs received enormous publicity, and were prominently displayed in films and television, they were not widely adopted by military or law enforcement agencies. By the 1980s, the demand for new submachine guns was very low and could be easily met by existing makers with existing designs. However, following H&K's lead, other manufacturers began designing submachine guns based on their existing assault rifle patterns. These new SMGs offered

5490-467: The 2011 Libyan civil war , and some of these examples were captured and used in the war by Libyan rebel forces . By 2009, the P90 was in service with military and police forces in over 40 countries. In the United States, Houston Police Department was the first local law enforcement agency to adopt the P90, acquiring it for their SWAT team in 1999. In 2003, the Houston SWAT team became one of

5612-689: The Brügger & Thomet APC and SIG MPX . During the Apartheid era of South Africa and the Rhodesian Bush War / South African Border War , a semi-automatic only pistol calibre carbine based on submachine guns existed for civilian personal protection as Land Defence Pistol s (LDP). Known examples were the Bell & White 84, BHS Rhogun, Cobra Mk1 , GM-16, Kommando LDP, Northwood R-76, Paramax, Sanna 77 and TS III. First developed during

5734-727: The Cold War , especially among special forces , covert operation commandos and mechanized infantrymen . Submachine gun usage for frontline combat decreased in the 1980s and 1990s, and by the early 21st century, submachine guns have largely been replaced by assault rifles , which have a longer effective range , have increased stopping power , and can better penetrate the helmets and body armor used by modern soldiers. However, they are still used by security forces , police tactical units , paramilitary and bodyguards for close-quarters combat because they are "a pistol-caliber weapon that's easy to control, and less likely to overpenetrate

5856-648: The Dunkirk evacuation , the Royal Navy adopted the 9mm Parabellum Lanchester submachine gun . With no time for the usual research and development for a new weapon, it was decided to make a direct copy of the German MP 28 . Like other early submachine guns it was difficult and expensive to manufacture. Shortly thereafter, the simpler Sten submachine gun was developed for general use by the British armed forces, it

5978-538: The FN P90 features an unusual appearance, having a 50-round magazine housed horizontally above the barrel, an integrated reflex sight and fully ambidextrous controls. A simple blowback automatic weapon, it was designed to fire the proprietary FN 5.7×28mm cartridge which can penetrate soft body armor. The FN P90 was designed to have a length no greater than an average-sized man's shoulder width, to allow it to be easily carried and maneuvered in tight spaces, such as

6100-710: The M76 . The m/45 was used in combat by Swedish troops as part of the United Nations Operation in the Congo , during the Congo Crisis during the early 1960s. Battlefield reports of the lack of penetrative power of the 9mm Parabellum during this operation led to Sweden developing a more powerful 9 mm round designated "9mm m/39B". In 1946, Denmark introduced the Madsen M-46 and, in 1950, an improved model,

6222-583: The MPi 69 , which is similar in appearance to the Uzi SMG. The MPi 69's receiver is a squared stamped steel tube that partly nestles inside a large plastic molding (resembling a lower receiver) which contains the forward hand-grip, vertical pistol-grip and the fire control group , making the MPi 69 one of the first firearms to use plastic construction in this way. In the 1970s, extremely compact submachine guns, such as

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6344-648: The Madsen M-50 . These 9 mm Parabellum stamped steel SMGs featured a unique clamshell type design, a side-folding stock, and a grip safety on the magazine housing. The Madsen was widely exported and especially popular in Latin America, with variants made by several countries. In 1948, Czechoslovakia introduced the Sa vz. 23 series. This 9 mm Parabellum SMG introduced several innovations: a progressive trigger for selecting between semi-automatic and full auto fire,

6466-471: The PS90 , a semi-automatic carbine intended for personal protection and sporting use. The P90 is a selective fire , straight blowback -operated weapon with a cyclic rate of fire of around 850–1,100 rounds per minute. The weapon is chambered for FN's 5.7×28mm ammunition. Its unusual shape is based on extensive ergonomic research. The weapon is grasped by means of a thumbhole in the frame that acts as

6588-568: The PS90 . The P90 and its 5.7×28mm ammunition were developed by the Belgian company FN Herstal in response to NATO requests for a replacement for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge and associated pistols and submachine guns. NATO called for two types of weapons chambered for a new cartridge—one a shoulder-fired weapon , and the other a handheld weapon. According to NATO, these new weapons, termed personal defense weapons (PDWs), were to provide "personal protection in last-resort situations when

6710-513: The SS90 , went into production with the P90 in 1990. The SS90 propelled a 1.5 g (23  grain ) plastic-core projectile from the P90 at a muzzle velocity of roughly 850 metres per second (2,800 ft/s). Following the P90's introduction, FN revised the 5.7×28mm ammunition. The new variation, designated the SS190 , used a projectile 2.7 mm (0.11 in) shorter in length than that of

6832-659: The United States . In the United States, the P90 is in use with over 200 law enforcement agencies , including the U.S. Secret Service . In the United States, the standard selective fire P90 is restricted to the military, law enforcement, or holders of certain Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) with the Special Occupational Tax (SOT). Since 2005, a semi-automatic version with a longer barrel has been offered to civilian users as

6954-402: The Uzi (after its designer Uziel Gal ). The Uzi was one of the first weapons to use a telescoping bolt design with the magazine housed in the pistol grip for a shorter weapon. The Uzi has become the most popular submachine gun in the world, with over 10 million units sold, more than any other submachine gun. In 1959, Beretta introduced the Model 12 . This 9mm Parabellum submachine gun was

7076-430: The Wehrmacht , with whole infantry battalions being armed with little else. Even in the hands of conscripts with minimal training, the volume of fire produced by massed submachine guns could be overwhelming. Britain entered the war with no domestic submachine gun design but instead imported the expensive US M1928 Thompson. After evaluating their battlefield experience in the Battle of France and losing many weapons in

7198-426: The "90" in its name is derived ), whereupon the 5.7×28mm ammunition was redesigned and shortened. A modified version of the P90 with a magazine adapted to use the new ammunition was introduced in 1993, and the Five-seven pistol was subsequently introduced as a companion weapon using the same 5.7×28mm ammunition. Featuring a compact bullpup design with an integrated reflex sight and fully ambidextrous controls,

7320-474: The 1960s, Heckler & Koch developed the 9mm Parabellum MP5 submachine gun. The MP5 is based on the G3 rifle and uses the same closed-bolt roller-delayed blowback operation system. This makes the MP5 more accurate than open-bolt SMGs, such as the Uzi. The MP5 is one of the most widely used submachine guns in the world, having been adopted by over 40 nations and numerous military, law enforcement, and security organizations. In 1969, Steyr introduced

7442-548: The 1980s, personal defense weapons (PDWs) were created in response to a NATO request for a replacement for 9×19mm Parabellum submachine guns. PDWs are compact automatic weapons that are sufficiently light to be issued to non-combat arms or support troops, particularly those in vehicles, while being capable of greater range and terminal ballistics than a handgun. As a result of these characteristics, most PDWs can be used as close quarters battle weapons for special forces and counter-terrorist groups. Introduced in 1991,

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7564-425: The 5.7×28mm cartridge's intended applications, so the cartridge's limited energy at long range is not considered to be disadvantageous. Since the SS190 projectile does not rely on fragmentation or the expansion of a hollow point , the cartridge (and 5.7×28mm weapons) is considered suitable for military use under the Hague Convention of 1899 , which prohibits the use of expanding bullets in warfare . The P90 uses

7686-407: The 7.62×25mm Tokarev, albeit slightly less powerful). During the Winter War , the badly outnumbered Finnish used the Suomi KP/-31 in large numbers against the Russians with devastating effect. Finnish ski troops became known for appearing out of the woods on one side of a road, raking Soviet columns with SMG fire and disappearing back into the woods on the other side. During the Continuation War ,

7808-411: The 9×19mm cartridge, improving controllability . Due to its high velocity, the 5.7×28mm exhibits an exceptionally flat trajectory , compared to typical pistol ammunition. One of the design intents for the standard 5.7×28mm cartridge type, the SS190 , was that it has the ability to penetrate Kevlar protective vests that stop conventional pistol bullets. Fired from the P90, the 5.7×28mm SS190 has

7930-405: The Austro-Hungarian first fielded the M.12/P16 machine pistol. This was the first machine pistol to be adopted by any military, being issued to Tyrolean units fighting in the alps In 1916, Heinrich Senn of Bern designed a modification of the Swiss Luger pistol to fire in single shots or in full-automatic. Around the same time Georg Luger demonstrated a similar Luger machine pistol which inspired

8052-409: The Finnish Sissi patrols often equipped every soldier with KP/-31s. The Suomi fired 9mm Parabellum ammunition from a 71-round drum magazine (although often loaded with 74 rounds). "This SMG showed the world the importance of the submachine gun in modern warfare", prompting the development, adoption and mass production of submachine guns by most of the world's armies. The Suomi was used in combat until

8174-442: The German Sturmgewehr ). In the years following the war, this new format began to replace the submachine gun in military use to a large extent. Based on the StG44, the Soviet Union created the AK-47 , which is to date the world's most produced firearm , with over 100 million made. After World War II, "new submachine gun designs appeared almost every week to replace the admittedly rough and ready designs which had appeared during

8296-422: The German Army to develop submachine guns. Colonel Bethel-Abiel Revelli had already conceived the principles of the submachine gun in September 1915, when he wrote that his gun could be converted to a single-barreled version that "may be mounted in the manner of a rifle so that it may be fired from the shoulder" . The FIAT Mod. 1915 would be later modified into the OVP 1918 automatic carbine. The OVP 1918 had

8418-412: The German delegation and others rejected the NATO recommendation that 5.7×28mm be standardized, halting the standardization process indefinitely. As a result, both the 4.6×30mm and 5.7×28mm cartridges (and the associated weapons) have been independently adopted by various NATO countries, according to preference; the P90 is currently in service with military and police forces in over 40 countries throughout

8540-464: The Germans introduced the 9mm Parabellum MP38 which was first used during the invasion of Poland of September that year. The MP38 production was still just starting and only a few thousand were in service at the time. It proved to be far more practical and effective in close-quarters combat than the standard-issue German Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle . From this experience, the simplified and modernized MP40 (commonly and erroneously referred to as

8662-568: The Italians were among the first to develop submachine guns during World War I, they were slow to produce them under Mussolini ; the 9mm Parabellum Beretta Model 38 (MAB 38) was not available in large numbers until 1943. The MAB 38 was made in a series of improved and simplified models all sharing the same basic layout. The MAB 38 has two triggers, the front for semi-auto and rear for full-auto. Most models use standard wooden stocks , although some models were fitted with an MP40-style under-folding stock and are commonly mistaken for it. The MAB 38 series

8784-710: The Korean War. The Thompson had seen much use by the U.S. and South Korean militaries, even though the Thompson had been replaced as standard-issue by the M3/M3A1. With huge numbers of guns available in army ordnance arsenals, the Thompson remained classed as "limited standard" or "substitute standard" long after the standardization of the M3/M3A1. Many Thompsons were distributed to the US-backed Nationalist Chinese armed forces as military aid before

8906-588: The MP 18 was the MP 34 that was manufactured by the Germans through the Swiss front company Solothurn. The MP 34 was manufactured from the very best materials available and finished to the highest possible standard. Consequently, its production costs were extremely high. It was adopted by the Austrian police and army in the 1930s, and they were taken over by the Germans after German annexation of Austria in 1938. The MP35

9028-505: The P90 is an unconventional weapon with a futuristic appearance. Its design incorporates several innovations, such as a unique top-mounted magazine and FN's small-caliber, high- velocity 5.7×28mm ammunition. Additional integrated features include interchangeable visible or infrared laser and tritium light sources. The P90 is currently in service with military and police forces in over 40 nations, such as Austria , Brazil , Canada , France , Greece , India , Malaysia , Poland , and

9150-516: The P90 was designed as a compact but powerful firearm for vehicle crews, operators of crew-served weapons, support personnel, special forces , and counter-terrorist groups. Designed in conjunction with the FN Five-seven pistol and FN 5.7×28mm NATO ammunition , development of the weapon began in 1986, and production commenced in 1990, when it was known as the Project 9.0 (from which

9272-667: The Peruvian special forces group ( Grupo de Fuerzas Especiales ) in Operation Chavín de Huantar , the hostage rescue siege that ended the Japanese embassy hostage crisis . The operation was a success: all 14 MRTA revolutionaries were killed, and 71 hostages were rescued. The MRTA revolutionaries who had taken the hostages were equipped with body armor, but it was defeated by the Peruvian special forces' P90s. In 2011, P90s were used by Muammar Gaddafi's military forces in

9394-551: The Ring Sights HC-14-62 reflex sight , but the current weapon is instead fitted with the Ring Sights MC-10-80 sight, which was specifically designed for it. The HC-14-62 has a polymer housing and uses a forward-aimed fiber optic collector to illuminate the white daytime reticle , which consists of a large circle of about 180 minutes of arc (MOA), with a 20 MOA circle surrounding a 3.5 MOA dot in

9516-555: The SS190 and similar 5.7×28mm projectiles consistently turn base over point ("tumble") as they pass through ballistic gelatin and other media, using the 21.6 mm (0.85 in) projectile length to create a larger wound cavity. However, some are skeptical of the bullet's terminal performance , and it is a subject of debate among civilian shooters in the United States. The 5.7×28mm projectile potentially poses less risk of collateral damage than conventional pistol bullets, because

9638-405: The SS190 fired from the P90 at a distance of 25 m (27 yd) exhibited an average penetration depth of 25 cm (9.8 in) in ballistic gelatin covered with a Level II vest . The SS190 exhibited penetration depths ranging from 28 to 34 cm (11 to 13.5 in) when fired from the P90 into bare ballistic gelatin, in tests conducted by Houston Police Department SWAT . In testing,

9760-456: The SS90. This allowed it to be used more conveniently in the 5.7×28mm FN Five-seven pistol, which was under development at that time. The SS190 projectile had a greater weight, and a more conventional construction with an aluminium and steel core. The first prototypes of the SS190 were created in 1992, and the design was finalized in 1993, replacing the SS90. A modified version of the P90, with

9882-693: The Schmeisser) was developed and made in large numbers; about a million were made during World War II . The MP40 was lighter than the MP38. It also used more stamped parts, making it faster and cheaper to produce. The MP38 and MP40 were the first SMGs to use plastic furniture and a practical folding stock, which became standard for all future SMG designs. The Germans used a large number of captured Soviet PPSh-41 submachine guns, some were converted to fire 9mm Parabellum while others were used unmodified (the German 7.63×25mm Mauser cartridge had identical dimensions to

10004-599: The Winter War against Finland. The PPSh's 71-round drum magazine is a copy of the Suomi's. Later in the war they developed the even more readily mass-produced PPS submachine gun - all firing the same small-caliber but high-powered Tokarev cartridges. The USSR went on to make over 6 million PPSh-41s and 2 million PPS-43s by the end of World War II. Thus, the Soviet Union could field huge numbers of submachine guns against

10126-535: The accuracy of the U.S. M1 Garand and M1 carbine , it provided more firepower at short distances and was well-suited to the close-range firefights that typically occurred in that conflict, especially at night. United Nations Command forces in defensive outposts or on patrol often had trouble returning a sufficient volume of fire when attacked by companies of infantry armed with the PPSh. As infantry Captain (later General) Hal Moore stated: "on full automatic it sprayed

10248-421: The ballistic equivalent, in semi-automatic only form. The PS90 SBR is not usually listed on FN Herstal's website, but is offered commercially through third-party extensions. These are made either through factory standard layouts, or conversions made by swapping the barrel. This renders the weapon a “short barreled rifle”, and thus the required tax stamp is necessary in order to purchase and/or transfer it. The weapon

10370-404: The bore axis. As the cartridges are pushed back by spring pressure and arrive at the rear end of the magazine, they are fed as a single row into a spiral feed ramp and rotated 90 degrees, aligning them with the chamber . The magazine body is composed of polymer, and it is translucent to allow the shooter to see the amount of ammunition remaining at any time. The P90 was originally equipped with

10492-558: The center. The MC-10-80 has an anodized aluminium housing, and has a similar black reticle. The night reticle for both the HC-14-62 and the MC-10-80 consists of an open T that is primarily illuminated by a tritium module , and, in the HC-14-62, ambient light drawn in by an upward-facing collector. The sight is adjustable for both windage and elevation , and it can be used in conjunction with night vision equipment . As backup in case

10614-566: The early 2010s, compact assault rifles and personal defense weapons had replaced submachine guns in most roles. Factors such as the increasing use of body armor and logistical concerns have combined to limit the appeal of submachine guns. However, SMGs are still used by police (especially SWAT teams) for dealing with heavily armed suspects and by military special forces units for close-quarters combat, due to their reduced size, recoil and muzzle blast, and capability for sound suppression. Submachine gun designs adopted during this period include

10736-697: The end of the Lapland war , was widely exported and remained in service to the late 1970s. Inspired by captured examples of the Soviet PPS submachine gun , a gun that was cheaper and quicker to manufacture than the Suomi, the Finns introduced the KP m/44 submachine gun in 1944. In 1940, the Soviets introduced the 7.62×25mm PPD-40 and later the more easily manufactured PPSh-41 in response to their experience during

10858-672: The fall of Chiang Kai-shek's government to Mao Zedong's communist forces at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. (Thompsons had already been widely used throughout China since the 1920s, at a time when several Chinese warlords and their military factions running various parts of the fragmented country made purchases of the weapon and then subsequently produced many local copies.) US troops were surprised to encounter communist Chinese troops armed with Thompsons (among other captured US-made Nationalist Chinese and American firearms), especially during unexpected night assaults, which became

10980-731: The final year of the war. However, these were not enough to prevent Germany's collapse in November 1918. After World War I, the MP 18 evolved into the MP28/II SMG, which incorporated a simple 32-round box magazine , selective fire , and other minor improvements. Though the MP18 had a rather short service life, it was influential in the design of later submachine guns, such as the Lanchester , Sten and PPD-40 . The .45 ACP Thompson submachine gun had been in development at approximately

11102-552: The first agencies in the country to use the weapon in a shootout . By 2009, the P90 was in use with over 200 law enforcement agencies in the United States, including the Secret Service and Federal Protective Service . In response, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) added the P90 and PS90 to its NRA Tactical Police Competition standards, allowing law enforcement agencies to compete in

11224-509: The gun is supplied with a magazine that is blocked to a capacity of 10 or 30 rounds, allowing it to be sold in jurisdictions where magazine capacities are restricted by law . In order to be legal for purchase by civilians without obtaining a tax stamp for a Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) as defined by the United States National Firearms Act , the PS90 carbine has an extended 407 mm (16.0 in) barrel and

11346-416: The gun was even more inadequate: by the war's end, Japan had only manufactured about 7,500 of the Type 100, whereas Germany, America, and other countries in the war had produced well over a million of their own SMG designs. The German military concluded that most firefights took place at ranges of no more than ~300 yd (270 m). They therefore sought to develop a new class of weapon that would combine

11468-512: The high volume of fire of the submachine gun with an intermediate cartridge that enabled the shooter to place accurate shots at medium ranges (beyond that of the 100–200 yd (91–183 m) range of the typical submachine gun). After a false start with the FG 42 , this led to the development of the Sturmgewehr 44 select-fire assault rifle (assault rifle or storm rifle is a translation of

11590-431: The inside of an infantry fighting vehicle . The FN P90 is currently in service with military and police forces in over 40 nations. FN P90 The FN P90 is a personal defense weapon chambered for the 5.7×28mm cartridge , also classified as a submachine gun , designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium . Created in response to NATO requests for a replacement for 9×19mm Parabellum firearms,

11712-485: The integrated reflex sight, this model uses standard tritium iron sights. There is one full-length accessory rail integrated into the top of the receiver, and two rail stumps are included on the sides of the receiver. The top rail will accept various optical sights with no tools or additional mounting hardware required, and the side rails serve to mount secondary accessories, such as tactical lights or laser aiming devices . The P90 USG (United States Government) model

11834-471: The occupying Germans, who used them for themselves and also put them into the hands of the Vichy French . The Owen Gun is a 9mm Parabellum Australian submachine gun designed by Evelyn Owen in 1939. The Owen is a simple, highly reliable, open bolt, blowback SMG. It was designed to be fired either from the shoulder or the hip. It is easily recognisable, owing to its unconventional appearance, including

11956-430: The projectile design limits overpenetration, as well as the risk of ricochet . The lightweight projectile loses much of its kinetic energy after traveling only 400 m (440 yd), whereas a conventional pistol bullet such as the 9×19mm retains significant energy beyond 800 m (870 yd), posing greater risk of collateral damage in the event of a miss. This range exceeds the engagement distances expected for

12078-436: The rear of the weapon's frame—accessed by removing the buttplate—allows for storage of a cleaning kit . The P90 was designed to have a length no greater than a man's shoulder width, to allow it to be easily carried and maneuvered in tight spaces, such as the inside of an armored vehicle . To achieve this, the weapon's design uses the unconventional bullpup configuration, in which the action and magazine are located behind

12200-611: The receiver—were included for mounting secondary accessories, such as lasers or tactical lights. Like the PS90 Standard, the PS90 TR was available with either an olive drab or black frame. As of 2013, the PS90 TR model is no longer listed by FNH USA. The PS90 USG is now discontinued. In the same fashion as the P90 USG, this model had an aluminium reflex sight housing with a revised reticle . The black reticle consisted of

12322-478: The reflex sight is damaged, a set of fixed iron sights is provided on each side of the reflex sight housing. The newest MC-10-80, designated as the MC-10-80 Electronic, no longer uses tritium for its night reticle. Instead, the normal reticle can be illuminated in green powered by a CR2032 battery , with eight different brightness settings. The illuminated reticle makes the sight more versatile in

12444-645: The relative merits of the FN 5.7×28mm cartridge and the HK 4.6×30mm cartridge, which was created by German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch as a competitor to the 5.7×28mm. The results of the NATO tests were analyzed by a group formed of experts from Canada, France, the United Kingdom , and the United States, and the group's conclusion was that the 5.7×28mm was "undoubtedly" the more efficient cartridge; However,

12566-761: The same magazines as the Model 38 series. Submachine guns again proved to be an important weapon system in the Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953). The Korean People's Army (KPA) and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) fighting in Korea received massive numbers of the PPSh-41, in addition to the North Korean Type 49 and the Chinese Type 50, which were both licensed copies of the PPSh-41 with small mechanical revisions. While lacking

12688-596: The same time as the Bergmann and the Beretta. However, the war ended before prototypes could be shipped to Europe. Although it had missed its chance to be the first purpose-designed submachine gun to enter service, it became the basis for later weapons, and was much more successful than the submachine guns produced during World War I. The Thompson entered production as the M1921. It was available to civilians, but, because of

12810-573: The simplified M1 . The Thompson was still expensive and slow to produce. Therefore, the U.S. developed the M3 submachine gun or "Grease Gun" in 1942, followed by the improved M3A1 in 1944. While the M3 was no more effective than the Tommy Gun, it was made primarily of stamped parts and welded together and could be produced much faster and at a fraction of the cost of a Thompson; its much lower rate of fire made it

12932-659: The submachine gun was gradually accepted by many military organizations, especially as World War II loomed, with many countries developing their own designs. The U.S. Marine Corps adopted the Thompson during this period, they used them during the Banana Wars in Central America and it was also used by the China Marines . During the 1924 uprising the Soviets supplied four Thompsons to Estonian Communist militants; those were used against Estonian soldiers in

13054-534: The target". There are some inconsistencies in the classification of submachine guns. British Commonwealth sources often refer to SMGs as "machine carbines". Other sources refer to SMGs as "machine pistols" because they fire pistol-caliber ammunition, for example, the MP-40 and MP5 , where "MP" stands for Maschinenpistole ("submachine gun" in German, but cognate with the English term "machine pistol"). However,

13176-511: The term " machine pistol " is also used to describe a handgun -style firearm capable of fully automatic or burst fire , such as the Stechkin , Beretta 93R , Glock 18 , and the H&K VP70 . Furthermore, personal defense weapons such as the FN P90 and H&K MP7 are often called submachine guns. In 1895, Hiram Maxim produced the 'miniature Maxim' which was a pistol-calibre Maxim machinegun weighing 27 lb (12.2 kg) that

13298-473: The top of the receiver, which allows the shooter to mount their preferred optical sight. The rail includes a set of integrated iron sights, as backup in case the primary sight is damaged. As of 2019 the PS90 Standard is available with a black frame. The PS90 SBR variant is functionally identical to the “PS90 Standard”, but instead of the extended 16 inch barrel, this variant retains the standard 10.5 inch barrel of its selective-fire counterpart, thus making it

13420-405: The trigger and alongside the shooter's face so that there is no wasted space in the stock . The P90's dimensions are minimized by its unique horizontally mounted feeding system, wherein the box magazine sits parallel to the barrel on top of the weapon's frame. The weapon overall has an extremely compact profile—it is the most compact fixed-stock submachine gun to be made. The standard version of

13542-471: The trigger fully to the rear produces fully automatic fire. Particularly significant to the design of the P90 is the small-caliber, high-velocity bottlenecked cartridge it uses. The 5.7×28mm cartridge was created by FN Herstal in response to a NATO requirement that called for a replacement for the 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge, which is commonly used in pistols and submachine guns. The 5.7×28mm cartridge weighs 6.0 g (93  grains )—roughly half as much as

13664-434: The user is directly endangered by the enemy [...]." In 1989, NATO published document D/296 , outlining a number of preliminary specifications for these weapons: FN Herstal was the first small arms manufacturer to respond to NATO's requirement; FN started by developing a shoulder-fired personal defense weapon, the P90, along with a small caliber, high velocity 5.7×28mm cartridge type. The original 5.7×28mm cartridge, called

13786-435: The war. Some (the better ones) survived, most rarely got past the glossy brochure stage." Most of these survivors were cheaper, easier, and faster to make than their predecessors. As such, they were widely distributed. In 1945, Sweden introduced the 9 mm Parabellum Carl Gustaf m/45 with a design borrowing from and improving on many design elements of earlier submachine-gun designs. It has a tubular stamped steel receiver with

13908-434: The weapon has an overall length of 500 mm (20 in), a height of 210 mm (8.3 in), and a width of 55 mm (2.2 in). The P90 requires minimal maintenance , and it can be disassembled quickly and easily. It is a modular firearm, consisting of four main component groups: the barrel and optical sight group, the moving parts group, the frame and trigger group, and the hammer group. The P90's barrel

14030-562: The weapon's high price, initially saw poor sales. The Thompson (with one Type XX 20 round "stick" magazine) had been priced at $ 200 in 1921 (roughly equivalent to $ 3,416 in 2023). The Thompson was used in combat that same year: West Virginia state police bought 37 guns and used them during the Battle of Blair Mountain . Some of the first batches of Thompsons were bought by agents of the Irish Republican Army . They purchased

14152-510: The world. The 5.7x28mm was finally standardized by NATO in February 2021. Further development of the P90 led to the creation of the P90 TR model, which has a MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) triple rail interface for mounting accessories. This model was introduced in late 1999 and continues to be offered alongside the standard P90. More recently, the P90 has been offered to civilian shooters as

14274-541: Was another interwar German submachine gun, designed by the Bergmann brothers. It was exported to Sweden and Ethiopia and also saw extensive use in the Spanish Civil War . About 40,000 of the type were manufactured until 1944, with many going into the hands of the Waffen SS . The Erma EMP was yet another submachine gun from this period, based on a design by Heinrich Vollmer , about 10,000 were manufactured. It

14396-525: Was designed to be a more cost effective, lighter weight, and less complex design alternative to the MP5. The UMP has a side-folding stock and is available with four different trigger group configurations. It was also designed to use a wide range of Picatinny rail mounted accessories In 2004, Izhmash introduced the Vityaz-SN a 9mm Parabellum, closed bolt straight blowback operated submachine gun. It

14518-653: Was exported to Spain, Mexico, China and Yugoslavia, but also used domestically by the SS, as well as being produced under license in Francoist Spain . Changes in design accelerated during the war, with one major trend being the abandonment of complex and finely made pre-war designs like the Thompson submachine gun to weapons designed for cheap mass production and easy replacement like the M3 Grease Gun . While

14640-592: Was extremely robust and proved very popular with both Axis and Allied troops (who used captured MAB 38s). It is considered the most successful and effective Italian small arm of World War II. During the later years of the war, the TZ-45 submachine gun was manufactured in small numbers in the Italian Social Republic . A cheaper alternative to the MAB 38, it also sported an unusual grip safety . In 1939,

14762-536: Was much cheaper and faster to make. Over 4 million Sten guns were made during World War II. The Sten was so cheap and easy to produce that towards the end of the war as their economic base approached crisis, Germany started manufacturing their own copy, the MP 3008 . After the war, the British replaced the Sten with the Sterling submachine gun . The United States and its allies used the Thompson submachine gun, especially

14884-399: Was sold in small quantities to various countries and tested by the US military but not adopted. In 1896, a select-fire pistol was patented by the British inventor Hugh Gabbett-Fairfax. In April 1914, Abiel Bethel Revelli, an Italian military officer patented a twin-barreled, magazine-fed automatic gun in a pistol caliber, lighter than a machine gun and shorter than a rifle. A common myth

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