FN Herstal started the design of the 5.7x28mm cartridge in the late 1980s when body armour was becoming standard combat equipment and the modern-day missions required a more appropriate and more effective cartridge.

Simultaneously, the Company designed the FN P90^® Personal Defence Weapon (PDW), then later the FN Five-seveN^® pistol, two weapons firing 5.7x28mm ammunition that are currently in service with a large number of police and security forces across the globe.

The 5.7x28mm calibre is now a NATO standard (STANAG 4509).

Ammunition types

• SS190 (Ball), also available with environment-friendly primer
• L191 (Tracer)
• Sb193 (Subsonic)
• SS192 (Soft), also available with environment-friendly primer
• FR199 (Frangible), only available with environment-friendly primer
• Blank

Uses
• FN Five-seveN^® pistols
• FN P90^® submachine guns