silent but deadly

Deadly accurate: The L115A3 sniper rifle with sound suppressor and night sights

Report: Stephen Tyler
Picture: Steve Dock

ARMY marksmen can’t wait to get their hands on a fearsome new sniper rifle which is proving to be deadly accurate at very long ranges.

The L115A3 weapon’s larger calibre round and high-tech telescopic sight will enable marksmen to engage targets as far out as 1,500m. It is designed to achieve first-round hits at 600m and deliver harassing fire out to 1,100m.

Snipers from the 1st Battalion, The Rifles put the weapon – developed over two years under an £11 million contract – through its paces in Belize during Exercise Tropical Storm.

Instructor CSjt Sidney Hawkins was one of those to be impressed. “This is the first set to be released and I have to say that it is living up to what everyone expected from it,” he told Soldier. “We have had no problems with it whatsoever in this climate and it has already passed hot wet, hot dry and cold climate trials.”

During testing in Belize, marksmen using the L115A3 were regularly hitting targets almost a mile away, a dramatic improvement on the 1,000m range of the weapon it replaces. The L115A3’s telescopic sight provides twice the magnifying power of its predecessor, and the addition of all-weather day and night sights will allow it to be used around the clock.

CSjt Hawkins pointed out that the main improvements were the new sight and the sound suppressor, which should allow users to fire it without being heard. “We have been engaging targets here up to 1,500m and that is because the rifle’s stability has made shooting over greater distances that bit easier.”

The inclusion of a bipod by Portsmouth-based manufacturers Accuracy International Ltd has proved to be among the biggest hits with the rifle’s users. Rfn Andrew French reckoned the extra stability offered by the support allowed snipers on Tropical Storm to easily exceed their usual hit rate. “It’s Christmas come early for us as this rifle will improve our capability massively,” he said.

“The bipod makes accurate shooting a lot easier and that makes it easier for us to do our job. Already we have a lot of confidence in the rifle and I’m sure that it will make a massive difference when it is used on operations.”

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) close combat team leader Col Peter Rafferty added that he was delighted with the new rifle. “Snipers give our forces the ability to remove high-value targets without collateral damage,” he said. “They represent precision attack and a covert surveillance capability.”