The IWS is chambered in a 15.2×169 mm armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot cartridge, and is the first man-portable rifle to use this type of ammunition.

After firing, the barrel recoils into a shock-absorbing hydro-pneumatic sleeve much like those found on a LG 1 Mark II 105 mm Howitzer.

The entire rifle body is made up of a combination of high-tension plastics and superlight polymers to increase manageability and cut down on weight.

The projectile is a 20-gram, 15.2 mm fin-stabilized discarding-sabot type with armor-piercing capability which the IWS 2000 was specifically designed to fire only.

It contains a dart-shaped penetrator of either tungsten carbide or depleted uranium, capable of piercing 40 mm[1] of rolled homogeneous armor at a range of 1,000 m, as well as causing secondary fragmentation.