The F2000 made its debut in March 2001 at the IDEX defence exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

The F2000 is a modular weapon system; its principal component is a compact 5.56×45mm NATO-caliber assault rifle in a bullpup configuration.

The rifle consists of two main assemblies: the barreled receiver group and the frame, coupled together by means of an axis pin located above the trigger guard.

The rifle's chromed hammer-forged steel barrel is stated to retain accuracy after 20,000 normal (non-sustained) rounds.

The F2000 has an optional bayonet lug mounted near the muzzle, and an adjustable gas regulator with two settings: "normal" for standard ammunition meeting NATO specifications, and "adverse", used to send an increased volume of gas into the system to ensure proper functioning when fouled or when using low-pressure ammunition.

The chamber, bolt, and ejector mechanism can be accessed by flipping up a hinged inspection cover in the receiver, behind the optical sight housing.

This ejection pattern was achieved by using a swiveling polymer tray, which intercepts the empty casing from the bolt face immediately after disengaging from the extractor.

As the empty casing is extracted it is held while the rocker assembly tilts to lift it above and clear of the feed path as the next round is stripped from the magazine by the bolt head.

The FCS integrates a low-power laser rangefinder (precise to within ± 1 m), a day-time aiming channel with an electronically projected reticle, a measured range display reading and a diode elevation adjustment indicator.

The fire control system calculates a firing solution manifested by the barrel's angle of elevation using target range information from the laser rangefinder (the rangefinder is activated by pushing a button on the pistol grip, below the trigger), corrected manually by the shooter through a push-button interface (add/subtract buttons) on the FCS top cover to take account for head or tail winds that could affect the desired range.

The F2000 FCS also contains software with the ballistic properties of up to six types of 40 mm grenades and can be reprogrammed to take advantage of future munition improvements.

After obtaining a range measurement, the distance to the target is displayed on a liquid crystal screen and the elevation diode flashes red.

[12] A small number of the early models featured a stepped barrel contour as well as a demilled bayonet lug.