Essay on British army new sniper rifle ....

[Thunderbox]

The irony is that, in UK at least, actual sniping is arguably the least important role for a sniper. In military terms, causing one or two enemy casualties has virtually no tactical value compared with the sniper's potential contribution to ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance). Nearly all formation HQs now bundle snipers in with the other ISTAR assets, and assign them surveillance and reconnaissance tasks. Even though snipers in recent years have come up with "material destruction" as a justification for their existence (and nice new big-bore rifles....), shooting at a jeep or a radar set with a rifle looks a bit silly when that sniper is (usually) a subordinate callsign to a fire support coordination cell that has under command some or all or arty, mortars, UAV, air, NGS, etc.