A characteristic feature of this AR-15 based weapon is a simple disassembly system at the point of connecting the barrel with the upper receiver. First weapons were introduced into service in 2018, and were first seen in the hands of the F-22 Raptor pilots in May 2019. To date, around 3,000 machines have been equipped with the GAU-5A ASDW.

Midwest Industries supplies a handguard with a mounting system for the military version of the weapon. The MI-GAU5A-P is a carbine (or rather a gun according to US law) powered by the .223 Remington/5.56 x 45 mm ammunition from  standard 30-round M16 magazines. The barrel comes from Cry Havoc QRB and is designed to work with the Midwest Industries system based on two locks on the left and right side of the weapon, similar in design to ski boot fasteners.

Carbines are equipped with a civilian version with SBA3 forearm stabilizers from SB-Tactical. Another interesting feature of the MI-GAU5A-P is the FAB Defense folding grip that reduces the profile of the weapon. After taking off the barrel and folding the pistol grip, the whole thing fits in a very small backpack. The barrel is 12.5 inches long, which is a very good compromise between reliability, ballistics and sizes. The twist rate is a classic 1:7, that stabilizes  the light, 55-grain projectiles well. The handguard is equipped with M-Lok system ports on all planes except the top which has a classic Picatinny rail. The carbine comes with Magpul MBUS Pro folding sights. The price is 1,450 USD.