The P90 really looks hot. Expect it to show up soon in action movies. fnmfg.com
WEAPONS OF THE WORLD: PDWs Replacing Pistols
January 5, 2004: Bye Bye Beretta, Hello PDW? The 9mm pistol cartridge has been in use for over 100 years by militaries and civilian law enforcement, but renewed efforts are underway both in the U.S. and European military establishments to field a replacement round, and a new type of weapon to fire it. The new weapon has been dubbed the Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) by NATO. This spring, the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab at Quantico, Virginia will be holding an evaluation between PDW contenders from FN Herstal and Hecker & Koch (H&K) in order to find a replacement for the "aging" Beretta 9mm pistol. PDWs look like miniature submachine-guns or, in some cases, large pistols.
Both NATO and the U.S. military are seeking a more effective pistol round able to penetrate body armor. For non-infantry personnel, especially those traveling in cramped quarters such as aircraft and armored vehicles, the PDW is expected to be a better and more affordable solution than either pistol-caliber submachine guns or folding-stock assault rifles. Infantry soldiers operating in urban environments could also benefit from a compact design. A pistol is desired for cost and political reasons, with a handgun being perceived as less threatening during police and peacekeeping operating.
U.S. Special Forces has never been happy with the 9mm's pistol's stopping power, even in the very limited scenarios, such as terrorist hostage rescue, where they can legally use hollow-point ammunition for increased effectiveness. SOCOM went back to the .45 round (perhaps legitimized is a better term, since operators were still toting updated versions of the classic M1911s even after the 9mm came into regular Army service in the mid-80s) with the HK Mark23 Mod 0 SOCOM "offensive" handgun weapons system.
P90,http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/howtomakewar/default.asp?target=htweap.htm |
