For many years, firearm's design has been based on extensive use of traditional metallic materials.

Regarding operating conditions severity, it was a comfortable position.

In the last fifteen years, users requirements were growing (weight budget, cost reduction, …) and designers had to consider potential use of new materials.

During P90 sub-machine-gun design, introduction of reinforced fiber composites like polyarylamide IXEF® induced design methodology reconsideration.

It was the first use of a material having highly temperature sensitive mechanical characteristics.

As environmental temperature became a key factor, failure modes analysis and performance assessment methods needed to be reviewed.

Those changes brought use of new scientific tools during design stage like structural dynamic analysis (experimental and finite elements computation), fatigue computation, mechanical simulation, … Testing programs and methods were also adapted in order to put in evidence environmental effects on product performance.

Thanks to this design process reengineering, performance goals have been achieved and user's safety has been preserved.