New sniper rifle boosts British Army operations against the Taliban - Telegraph

Soldiers call it "long-range death" – their name for the British Army's most powerful sniper rifle.

With its unerring accuracy and powerful telescopic sight, the L115A3 virtually guarantees "one round, one kill" at ranges of more than a mile.

The weapon has been used with "phenomenal" success in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where it is said to have had a major "psychological impact" on the Taliban. Last week the Army put the weapon on display and The Sunday Telegraph was asked to send the first newspaper journalist to test-fire the weapon on the Army's ranges in Warminster, Wiltshire, where the Support Weapons School is based.

The new weapon fires a higher calibre bullet, 8.59mm, further and with greater accuracy than any rifle which has seen service with The Army. Unlike the L96 sniper rifle, which it replaced, it is also fitted with a suppressor which reduces both noise and flash and helps to ensure that the sniper remains hidden.

The L115A3, produced by the British company Accuracy International, has been procured for the Army at a total cost of £4million – a testament to the revived importance of snipers.

The art of sniping almost died out during the Cold War, when weapons of mass destruction were believed to offer the solution to global warfare.

Only the Parachute Regiment, the Royal Marines and the Special Forces recognised that snipers would always have an important part to play on the battlefield.

But today, with a bloody insurgency raging in southern Afghanistant where 8,300 British troops are based, the sniper has become a vital battle-winning asset. The modern British Army sniper needs to be more than just a crack shot. He – sniping in the Army remains a male domain – needs to be intelligent, a first-class navigator, expert in field craft and camouflage and have a very "highly developed hunting instinct".

Snipers, not surprisingly, consider themselves to be a "cut above the rest" of the Army.

In southern Afghanistan, they often act as the both the eyes and ears of commanders, reporting on the movements of the Taliban from covert and often isolated hides.

Working in pairs, the spotter – usually the more experienced of the two – picks out the targets, estimates the range, relative humidity, barometric pressure and wind speed, while providing cover for the sniper while he engages the enemy.

In Helmand, snipers wear bizarre-looking sand-coloured gillie suits to ensure that they blend in to the surrounding desert and remain hidden while they target the Taliban.

"I go into my own little bubble when I'm sniping", said Dean, a 34-year-old Colour Sergeant in the Coldstream Guards, who – like most snipers – did not want his personal details made public.

"It's very difficult to explain. You become very methodical and try and ensure that you are doing everything which is going to give you the perfect shot – one round, one kill.

"With this weapon I would expect to achieve that every time."

Dean, who is also an instructor at the Army's sniping school in Brecon, south Wales, refused to say how many enemy combatants he had killed.

"I don't want to talk about that", he said when asked. "I don't keep a tally. I have a job to do like everyone else in the Army and I make sure I do it to the best of my ability."

He added that the L115A3 was as "competitive" as any sniper rifle in the world.

"It can be fitted with night vision equipment so it allows us to own the night-time battlefield. But like every weapon, it is just a tool. What matters is the person pulling the trigger."