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The Sniper Revolution
July 31, 2008: In Iraq and Afghanistan, infantry tactics have changed considerably over the last few years. This is largely gone unnoticed back home, unless you happen to know an old soldier or marine that remembers the old style of shooting. Put simply, the emphasis is on a lot fewer bullets fired, and much more accurate shooting. Elite forces, like the Special Forces and SEALs, have always operated this way. But that's because they had the skill, and opportunity to train frequently, to make it work. But the army and marines have found that their troops can fight the same way with the help of some new weapons, equipment and tactics. Plus lots of combat experience and specialized training. This includes the use of new shooting simulators, which allows troops to fire a lot of virtual bullets, in a realistic setting, without all the hassle and expense of going to a firing range. One thing that helped, and that was developing for two decades, was the greater used of snipers. Currently, about ten percent of American infantry are trained and equipped as snipers. Commanders have found that filling the battlefield with two man (spotter and shooter) sniper teams not only provides more intelligence, but also lots of precision firepower. Snipers are better at finding the enemy, and killing them with a minimum of noise and fuss. But new rifle sights (both day and night types), have made all infantry capable of accurate, single shot, fire. With the emphasis on keeping civilian casualties down, and the tendency of the enemy to use civilians as human shields, lots of snipers, or infantrymen who can take an accurate shot at typical battle ranges (under 100 meters), are the best way to win without killing a lot of civilians. New sniper equipment has made a big difference. The U.S. Army has been issuing the new M110 SASS (Semi-Automatic Sniper System) to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. This weapon is not a big technological breakthrough. It is based on the older AR-10 rifle. The U.S. Navy has been buying a similar weapon, the SR25. This is also known as the Mk11 Sniper Rifle System (SRS). These new semi-automatic sniper rifles are 7.62mm weapons based on the designs of M-16 creator, retired USAF Colonel Gene Stoner. The basis for the M-16 was the AR-15, and a 7.62mm version of that weapon was called the AR-10. About half the parts in the SR25 are interchangeable with those in the M-16. Posted by: tu3031 2008-07-31 |
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