Rifle company of snipers. Separate sniper units will appear in the army. German anti-tank gun Pz.B.39
ORGANIZATION AND ARMAMENT OF THE SNIPER UNIT
ORGANIZATION OF A SNIPER TEAM
A properly organized sniper team consists of two people, a sniper and an observer. They are both skilled and fully trained snipers, so it's more accurate to say that the team consists of two snipers. However, in order to be effective, one of them will fire (sniper) while his partner is watching (observer) and rotate these duties regularly.
Also, since the military sniper is armed with a slow-firing, low-capacity bolt-action rifle, his partner needs to automatic weapon with a large capacity - I recommend the M16A2 rifle with a 40mm M203 grenade launcher - to protect the team during unexpected fire contacts at short distances. Both people switch weapons when changing their duties. With only two members, the sniper team must act as a single entity in order to seize every opportunity to complete their task and survive in a very dangerous environment. Compatibility, a willingness to share responsibility, and a willingness to rotate duties without pettiness, grumbling, or evasiveness are absolutely essential qualities. We have compiled a list of sniper and observer duties, but it must be understood that within the specified duty there is always a joint effort; the responsible member of the team eventually sees that it is done, but to a certain extent, his partner contributes to everything that is done.
Some jobs are shared among team members, such as splitting a sector so that both can observe, but even here there must be a change of duties and rest, otherwise one team member will get eye strain. And always, one is resting, the other is working, one is guarding while his friend is digging, and so on. This is real team work.
The member of the team with the most experience should be the team leader, but his main job is to train his partner and raise his skills to the level of his own, so that they can completely change duties without any reduction in their combat capabilities.
TEAMWORK
Most often, the novice sniper serves as the spotter, but some organizations believe that the more experienced of the two should be the spotter, as he is likely to be better at ranging and estimating wind and targets. Due to the nature of their service, police snipers do not change weapons - each must have only his own rifle. But police snipers also have to rotate duties, rest, and share work, otherwise they will not be able to operate during a prolonged operation - and, in fact, most incidents that ultimately lead to a police sniper being fired are long ones.
Combat units are organized based on mission, weaponry, statutory requirements, and the terrain they will be fighting on, and are balanced with flexibility and simplicity to keep the unit manageable. These factors apply equally to the organization of sniper units and to a tank division. From these factors, two basic concepts for the organization of sniper units have developed: centralized and decentralized.
The organizational structure of sniper units, which is most often found in the US military, is centralized, in which snipers are part of their own platoon at the battalion level, which operates directly under the command of the chief of intelligence (S2) and operations officer (S3). As shown in the diagram, such an organization of snipers exists in Corps units. marines(ILC) of the United States and in the light infantry units of the US Army. In most structures using such an organization, snipers also serve as battalion scouts, which is well suited to their skills and tasks. In fact, the USMC officially refers to them as "sniper scouts" and is assigned to the Surveillance and Targeting Platoon (STA).
A centralized sniper platoon has many advantages. First, they can train together and focus their efforts on sniping, under the supervision of platoon leaders who evaluate and support their demands. Secondly, since they are the assets of the battalion, their role is taken into account and included in every operation of the battalion.
Centralization gives greater flexibility in combat, allowing the battalion officer responsible for the use of snipers to concentrate or disperse snipers according to the situation and the combat mission. For example, all snipers may be focused along one enemy approach path, concentrated within a company area if the terrain is best suited for sniping, or spread evenly, with three sniper teams assigned to each company or one team to each line platoon. They can also conduct independent operations, under the control of the battalion.
A decentralized organization exists in the US Army Ranger units and some reserve components. This approach, shown in the top diagram, involves separating snipers and always assigning one team to each platoon.
Given that the Rangers often conduct raids and ambushes in platoon-sized units - they are, after all, America's leading sabotage force - it makes sense that they would want to pool as many resources as possible at the platoon level. Creating such a platoon team allows all members to get used to working together, honing their tactical and other skills in unison.
How such decentralized sniper teams are used in operations is determined by the company or platoon leader; at battalion level, snipers or sniping are not considered in planning.
The downside of this organization is that the emphasis on sniping may be reduced and snipers may not be trained to the same high standard as when they were in the same platoon. But this is usually corrected by the supervision and instructions of the battalion commander.
It must not be forgotten that, in reality, any military organization can change significantly to adapt to circumstances on the battlefield, as has happened in every American war. In peacetime, even a small change in the staff of a unit requires the decision of Congress, but in war time, your unit leaders have considerable leeway to adapt to the situation. When the bullets start flying, the only thing that matters is what works.
We recently saw this clearly in the War on Terrorism. Prior to the attack on September 11, 2001, the US Army had three two-man sniper teams in each airborne and light infantry battalion and four teams in mechanized infantry battalions. Based combat experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, many units have added a third man and a Barrett .50 caliber rifle to each sniper team, plus a fourth non-sniper, to increase security and add another pair of surveillance eyes. In 2004 in the 7th infantry division the number of snipers was tripled by deploying 18 sniper teams in each battalion. Every 12-man U.S. Special Operations Forces "A" team is now cross-trained as snipers by at least two.6 The U.S. Marine Corps has also shown its confidence in snipers by adding them to their traditional surveillance and targeting platoons ( STA) of 17 battalion-level men. But the biggest increase in precision shooting in both the Army and the Marine Corps has been a significant increase in the number of Designated Marksmen assigned.
ASSIGNED ACCURATE ARROWS
Although the concept dates back to the earliest days of the infantry, in the early 21st century the Americans showed considerable interest in infantrymen at the platoon and squad level, with the additional duty of assigned marksmanship. The Marines even issued custom-made M14 and M16A3 rifles for them, respectively for platoon and detached marksmen. The Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) is an M14 precision-engineered rifle that combines a McMillan match barrel and stock with a pistol grip with adjustable cheekpiece. I've seen various versions with the traditional Marine Corps Unertl 10x scope, or the Leupold Mark 4 M3 scope, or even the PVS-10 day/night scope. While these specially selected marksmen receive additional training in marksmanship and field skills, they do not qualify as sharpshooters.
The same is true for marksmen of the units of the Marine Corps. Armed with heavy-barreled M16 match-grade rifles mounted with a Trijicon Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) 4x scope or a Leupold scope, these sharpshooters provide additional features on optical surveillance and precision fire in every infantry squad, although they have not yet been officially authorized in the Marine Corps.
The Stryker Brigade Combat Team (BCG) has three sniper teams at each battalion headquarters, plus an additional team of three in each company. However, like the Marine Corps, the Army added a designated marksman to each nine-man Stryker brigade squad, armed with an M16 or M4 carbine and an ACOG 4x scope. Although these marksmen receive specialized training like their Marine counterparts, they are not fully trained sharpshooters. In both branches of the military, the concept is that such designated sharpshooters, in terms of their capabilities, fill a niche between foot soldiers armed with automatic rifles, and fully trained and armed snipers - or, looking the other way, assigned marksmen provide effective fire beyond the effective range of conventional infantry (over 350 yards, up to 550 or 600 yards), giving US forces an advantage over their armed automatic enemy rifles.
SNIPER SELECTION
Frederick Russell Burnham, an American explorer-adventurer who led British scouts in the Boer War, described his scouts as "half wolves and half hares". What a fitting description for a sniper - and how aptly Burnham put it! For Burnham, the most accomplished scouts were the Scots of the Highlander regiment known as Lovat's scouts; 16 years later, these phenomenal forest people formed the first sniper unit in the British Army. Yes, the sniper is a bold tempter of fate, but he must also be a wise visionary: "He who shoots and retreats lives to shoot the next day."
This controversial nature - also concerning the fact that sniping can attract some undesirable elements - requires special attention in the selection of snipers. To this must be added reliability. “This is the only combat unit in which we can give the order to go and complete the task of two people,” says Lt. Col. Michael
Phillips (Michael Phillips), former commander firearms training course at Fort Benning, “I think because of the amount of things that are required of them, we need to make sure that only those who are truly worthy get the title of "sniper."
What should you look for in sniper candidates? Because sniping involves a triad of skills—marksmanship, field skills, and tactics—I suggest that a sniper candidate must have experience, interest, or demonstrated ability in at least one of these areas. Preparation will solidify that base and polish it into other skills.
It is foolish to think that you are recruiting trained people; the selection process is more about identifying people with the best potential, whom you then train to a standard level. Most of all I am interested in the candidate's perspective and attitude, not necessarily in his knowledge, which can be expanded in the learning process. Is this person's training justified? This is the main question.
A World War II British Army directive in establishing sniper teams paid attention to candidates' attitudes towards sniping as well as their skills, requiring candidates to be 'selected and fit men who take pride in it; the best marksmen, skilled in the field, confident in their self-confidence, possessing great courage and unsurpassed patience."
Marksmanship
When we start talking about marksmanship, the candidate must be at least a qualified expert rifleman, a level that, as he will soon learn, is only the starting point for sniper-level shooting.
His weapon handling ideally goes beyond his skill with a service rifle. My interest in features firearms started as a child when I started handling a rifle alone in the woods at the age of eight. Perhaps the candidate was an athlete shooter, or perhaps he has a deeper understanding and experience with weapons than the average police officer or soldier. Skip Talbot, world record holder in .50 caliber 1,000-yard shooting, opines that “long range shooters are like wild stallion busters; they are born, not made.
The candidate improves in marksmanship, because in order to hone and maintain sniper skills, he must shoot often. Therefore, the candidate must have an interest in small arms and technical issues beyond the layperson; natural curiosity about things like ballistics, bullets, and optics. Hunting experience is especially useful because the sniper candidate has already learned the consequences of inaccuracy or slow reflexes.
Field Skills
Field skills include many additional skills that the sniper must develop, such as wind estimation, camouflage, and observation. The value of sports and hunting experience cannot be underestimated, for how else can a young person learn such skills?
I attach more value those who hunt elusive beasts. Hunters of squirrels, turkeys, or deer can develop into excellent snipers. Bow hunters know a lot about flora and fauna and camouflage.
But it's more than just certain skills. It is an attitude, a deeper level of trust and compatibility with nature, what I call "closeness to the earth." Whoever spent his youth in the countryside, especially in places like Alaska, Montana, Maine, Minnesota, or Idaho - or who simply walked in the woods - develops his own concept of the relationship between himself and nature, forest, weapons - directly about life.
A number of sports help develop this attitude, including trailing (catching animals and birds with traps and traps), hiking, mountain climbing, camping, and canoeing. These athletes learn to read the weather, see footprints in the natural environment, understand topographic maps, observe fauna, move stealthily - and a host of other related skills.
But before you feel like city dandies have no place in sniping, don't forget that all of our ancestors once hunted day and night for their survival and that all these skills are hidden within us and that the less experienced A city boy can learn to perform admirably in the woods if he completely immerses himself and uses himself. These are forgotten, but not lost, arts.
The best compliment in the Special Operations Forces SOG group was: "He's good in the woods," meaning that the person has mastered the whole gamut of skills of ancient warriors and foresters required for jungle warfare. And most of the jungle soldiers from SOG, like yours truly, grew up in cities.
But there was a natural talent within us, an instinct for preying on other people that some of our peers had applied to surfing or football. It is wonderful to watch a young soldier develop these martial skills and find, often to his own surprise, that hidden deep in his mind and body, they have always been the creators of the warrior. He was always close to the ground, but he didn't know it.
A little about hunters
But traditionally, a person, as a potential sniper, was distinguished by hunting experience. The Germans historically referred to their snipers as "jaegers" or "hunters", how close this connection is.
The Russians especially liked snipers with hunting experience. Their greatest World War II sniper, Sergeant Vasily Zaitsev, was a hunter and trapper in the Ural mountains before the war.
The best Australian snipers of World War II were experienced kangaroo hunters who knew that a badly fired shot would ruin the hide, so they grew up learning to shoot long range headshots. Stealth and offhand shooting were their way of life.
Returning to the United States, more than anything else, firearms and hunting are essential components of the modern American experience. The United States probably has more hunters per capita today than any other major country.
But you don't have to be a hunter to be a sniper; indeed, some experienced snipers have no interest in hunting. My friend, a former Green Beret sniper for a major metropolitan police department, decries "unnecessary" wildlife destruction - but won't hesitate to "turn" the bad guy out of his McMillan rifle. He's a marksman, a good tactician, and uses other skills just as well. Steve and I can debate the ethics of hunting, but he's clearly a competent sniper with no hunting experience.
Tactics
I'm not sure how a sniper candidate can develop his attitude to tactics in any other way than by studying military history– and reading books is one way to do that.
The study of military history helps develop an understanding of the relationship between fire and maneuver, cover from fire and from observation, and concentration versus dispersion. The most suitable tactics are small units below the level of Napoleon or Clausewitz.
I highly recommend Sun Tzu's The Art of War, a Chinese treatise on deceit and war written in 300 BC, which is useful for snipers. For example, Sun Tzu wrote: “When you are close, pretend that you are far away; when far away, pretend you are close.” This book is required reading for CIA officers.
An implicit quality I look for in cadets is "tactical sense," the ability to see tactical opportunities and threats in order to quickly assess a situation and draw my plan in the dust. Some of this comes with experience, but much of it, I believe, is a gift from God.
Serious boxers and hand-to-hand fighters perhaps have a better and more natural grasp of the basic principles of tactics, as do chess players and members of some team sports like football. I would give extra points to the candidate if he was a paintball player.
Physical state
A physically strong shooter holds his rifle more steadily, hard muscles withstand recoil better, he carries the load without premature fatigue, he stays alert longer, he can go further and faster.
Lots of police S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) are difficult and long preparations and maintain a high level of fitness. But whether your tactical team does it or not, you must stay in shape or you will begin to avoid tension by subconsciously dropping into a low trot when you should be using a low crawl, or visibly circling a wall instead of slipping over it unnoticed. Poor fitness, laziness, and bad tactics go hand in hand.
The Army fitness test is good for the police, although the S.W.A.T. teams that I am familiar with have higher fitness standards as they approach the Force level. special operations and ranger units.
In terms of vision, a sniper needs to have at least 20-20.15 vision as most of his job is observation. Glasses? Corrective vision is acceptable if the sniper has non-reflective lenses and has a spare set in his equipment.
Smoking
It is better that the sniper candidate is not a smoker, but this choice is better left to the sniper, and not to the one who should select him. Smoking should not be used as a basis for exclusion, any more than drinking alcohol or coffee, which to some extent affects the performance of a sniper.
The sniper must understand how smoking affects his performance. During the day, his cigarettes will produce smoke and smell, while at night they create visually noticeable light. His marksmanship may be impaired if he is out of nicotine at the right time, while his sense of smell may be insufficient to detect odors associated with hostile activity or danger.
A smoker who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day creates high levels of carbon monoxide in his blood that reduces normal night vision at sea level by 20 percent, an effect that increases with altitude; at 10,000 feet, he loses 40 percent of his night vision.
I would encourage snipers to stop smoking, but I would also advise coffee drinkers to switch to decaffeinated coffee for stronger nerves.
Mental abilities and personal qualities
To understand and apply the complexities of ballistics, adjust rifle scopes, plan combat operations, and outsmart your enemies, a sniper needs intelligence.
He also needs wisdom, for his usual combat encounter greatly annoys a vastly superior enemy. Like an agile mongoose, his strike and dodge tactics outsmart the deadly cobra. It requires composure in stressful situations.
Easily excitable, adrenaline-prone "cheer" types are the exact opposite of the calm, impassive, thinking sniper. They can adjust with great effort, but it is not so easy.
These observations also apply to police snipers. A member of an assault team needs to be bold and aggressive, ready to burst through doors and hit their opponent in close fire combat. His whole job is to break through risk and accurately hit his target. But a police sniper has to be careful, methodical, mature. His task requires avoiding risk, minimizing chance, and using all chances to prevent the suspect from engaging in aggressive actions.
The sniper must be compatible with his teammate. I didn't say have the same personal qualities, I said compatible. But they need to be about the same size, so that one can pull the other out if it gets incapacitated. Teaming Hulk Hogan with a medium-sized man means they'll both die if the bigger one is seriously injured.
Returning to personality, you don't need to use the "Lone Wolf" type. Sniping is a team effort in which each person must give himself completely, and not feed on the efforts of his partner.
Patience
Special attention patience must be given, which World War I sniper Captain H.A.V. McBride said was the most important quality of a sniper. Whether he is a police officer waiting for a terrorist during a lengthy hijacking operation, or a soldier dispassionately peering into an enemy trench for [several] hours, the sniper must be able to produce an excellent shot both 10 minutes after arrival and 10 hours of waiting.
The most experienced long-range shooters I know are "slow-walking, slow-talking" guys, men like Lance Peters, an Olympic-level shooter who won a silver medal at the Pan American Games. Possessing an analytical mindset, patient, dispassionate, planning every step. Of course, these people have emotions, but they have learned to overcome them in order to mentally send stress and anxiety into oblivion.
As a form of self-discipline, patience enables the sniper to lie still in the wet and cold for hours, waiting for a shot he knows will most likely not even come. But just for the sake of making a possible shot, he walks his way through discomfort, so calm and ready, as if it were a sure blow.
Psychological picture
Most men become snipers because they are confident, proud of their skills, and want to get the job done and be the best. They wish to fight as a small unit, so success or failure, life or death - their very destiny - is largely determined by their own efforts. In an environment that is often ruled by mindless brutality, they want to fight smart. They embody the American spirit.
However, for certain reasons, the mystique of sniping can attract the wrong element - the ghostly "wants to be", those who think that glory comes through killing. Deranged psychos and pathological braggarts don't last long in war, because so-called "recreational killers" are usually cowards, unable to endure the dangers of real combat.
Those who think they are on Divine missions or who hate their moms and dads are quickly identified and disqualified. What is much more difficult and subtle, I think, is the purge of those who will never risk under fire; those who, when all the chips are on the table, do not shoot or get confused or hide instead of shooting. However, the purpose of the psychological review is to rule out the crazy, not to identify those who have true courage.
Law enforcement agencies often have a formal psychological interview of sniper candidates and even run diagnostic tests, similar to the Minnesota multi-phasic questionnaire. With the heavy obligations and attendant dangers associated with firing a high-yield rifle in an urban setting in peacetime, no police agency wants to have people too quick to fire a shot.
my greatest concern in the psychological review is that it depends on the subjective opinion of the psychiatrist, who may not fully appreciate the stress and reality of the sniper environment. He may exclude the best candidates because they like firearms, or enthusiasts.
"To be ready"
I think attitude reflects the spirit, but the key to judging attitude is to observe what the devoted man does, not what the braggart says. Actions, not words, have real value. Will he go when the others leave? Is he behind his comrades? Will he endure pain and discomfort for the sake of success? Does he give himself, or does he only take? Will he risk himself to get a chance? And, ultimately, will he follow orders and take the shot?
Unlike most soldiers and police, it is difficult to know if a sniper will shoot at a target that is distant and does not pose an immediate threat to him. He might have plenty of time to study the target and notice how similar she is to his Uncle Ralph. I don't know of any cases where a cop or soldier couldn't shoot a nearby bad guy who was shooting at them. Marksmanship could be bad, ricochet, but no display of emotion or social taboos affected [in this case] the good guy.
But something happens when a sniper looks in optical sight and sees a pair of living eyes. It is the eyes that distinguish a living person from a target.
I've been unable to find the means to determine who won't be able to fire, so until that actually happens, you can never be sure who is "ready". And it highlights the importance of realism in training, making sniper targets so realistic that they don't differ too much from the real thing. Take special care to have eyes on the sniper's target.
The Ultimate Sniper:
An Advanced Training Manual for Military
Once I wrote to you, my relatives, about snipers. And I'll write more.
And today I found interesting article how snipers are trained today sdelanounas_en
in
Originally posted by alekseyaleynik . at About a separate sniper company
It is no secret that in connection with the introduction of special sniper units into the combined arms formations of the Ground Forces, the formation of a phased and multi-level system for the selection and training of snipers began in the troops. After completing the recruitment phase of individual sniper companies, all snipers will special training in training centers with a frequency of once every 3-4 years.
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For the emerging sniper training schools, curricula have been developed that provide for the mastery of a set of knowledge, skills and abilities, including those for adjusting artillery fire, aiming army aviation and counter-sniper training. The instructors, from among whom the newly formed sniper training schools will be recruited by December 1 at the district training centers (OTC), have completed a special fire training cycle (TsOPS) in the city of Solnechnogorsk.
At the finish line, a trained sniper will be able to act both as part of a unit and independently (or in pairs). Formation of sniper units in ground forces, staffed by professional contracted military personnel and undergoing systematic training at sniper schools at the educational training center and at the TsOPS (Solnechnogorsk), is scheduled to be fully completed in 2016.
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Due to the variety of fire missions performed, the sniper units are armed with several types of rifles with different indicators of the main combat properties. In addition, each sniper is given a personal weapon - a pistol.
In addition to weapons and sights, the sniper pair is equipped with optoelectronic surveillance equipment - a small-sized laser reconnaissance device, binoculars and means for determining the initial data for firing. Individual and group equipment of a sniper pair includes a sniper complex, uniforms, equipment and other equipment necessary to complete tasks and maintain life.
We managed to get into one of these newly formed separate sniper companies (27 omsbr) in order to find out how live firing of snipers is carried out, including in pairs and with the use of fire support, what happens in tactical-special classes (movement, equipment and camouflage of a firing position ), why do you need psychological testing snipers and how things are with medical training.
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For future fighters of individual sniper units, several qualifications have been introduced, one of which is psychological. A specially trained civilian psychologist (in the past - an officer) with the help of proven methods for predicting the behavior of a fighter at an early stage identifies people who do not have the proper level of neuropsychic stability.
Testing is normal. Each candidate receives a form, the psychologist reads the questions-statements, the subject answers. For example, one of the tests, consisting of 86 questions, allows you to divide all candidates into 4 groups. Of these, only those included in groups 1 and 2 can be recommended for enrollment with subsequent admission to combat sniper weapons. Psychological selection during acquisition, as the psychologist said, is very strict.
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After being enrolled in a sniper company, a psychologist monitors each fighter individually. If necessary, individual training sessions are again conducted with a sniper, during which it is possible to adjust such an indicator as, for example, “determination” and issue the necessary recommendations. If correction is not possible and serious issues of psychological fitness arise, the psychologist may make a proposal to remove the sniper from service in a separate sniper company.
Individual therapy is possible, and as a standard this kind of therapy is carried out weekly for small groups. Nothing "cinematic" is brought into the mental training of a sniper: no one eats live frogs and does not wrap the enemy's warm intestines around his fist. They say that such training is not required for a modern military sniper.
The main qualities that the psychologist works to consolidate and develop are decisiveness, courage, and an adequate response to any new situations. Particular attention is paid to the actions of a sniper in a future battle, the most important of which is a clear and quick prioritization.
Fighters should be able to prepare this kind of camouflage suits with masks for themselves, best of all - from improvised means. The main task is to hide the silhouette of the fighter and weapons, to protect the face and hands. Of course, there are a lot of special suits on sale today, but as the pros say, they are really good and do not need finishing and “customization” - no. And the price tag usually invigorates. 5-6 thousand will have to lay out.
It is, of course, available if you are an airsoft manager (this is without irony and jokes, if anything). What about a contract sergeant? Those who want to make a suitable and correct costume for themselves can go here. By the way - my acquaintances from the police special forces, who fought a lot, do not neglect home-made sniper outfits.
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To begin with, snipers led by a young officer demonstrated typical measures to mask their position. The situation has become much more complicated weather conditions It snowed overnight and started to melt in the morning. Wet, dirty, not autumn and not winter. But it's raining. The snipers had to get out as in battle. A white camouflage coat is poorly suited for spaces not covered with snow, and green for snowy ones. To the question - “what to do if you need to immediately go into battle?”, The officer said that instead of a white coat, bandages and underwear would fit, and instead of green, equipment of “beds” and special barriers that were not visible from the side.
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The first of the snipers chose a place for the future "prone". A hole large enough to hide a lying person was covered with heat-insulating "foam" and a raincoat. The fighter lies on his stomach and nests in a way convenient for him, and his comrade covers the lying one with a simple mat. This, of course, is about a flat structure woven from “local” branches, twigs and clods of snow.
Approximately above the head of a lying sniper, a bump is arranged using the same method. A sniper sticks a rifle into this very bump so that a sector of fire and observation is visible through the scope. In such cases, the barrel is bandaged so that the blued rifle does not stand out in the snow. In such a shelter, a sniper can spend from several hours to several days.
Depending on the length of stay, a reserve is made in terms of the volume of shelter so that the lying fighter could warm up a little, eat, drink. In winter, being in such a bed, as they said, is surprisingly not cold, unless, of course, the sniper has properly insulated himself. Great for isolating the "local" spruce branches under the raincoat. A small hole for ventilation allows you to breathe, and if you also light a candle inside the “bed” closed on all sides, it gets warmer. Including in the soul, as the sniper officer said.
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A nearby open position was taken by a sniper with a white paper mask on his face (cheap and cheerful) and a piece of wire tied to a dummy. The dummy is additionally equipped with a micromirror responsible for bright reflections. He pulled the wire - the mirror glared. An enemy sniper may well shoot at the flash, and then he will be revealed by simple observation. Well, then - how lucky.
In an open field, a simple wire structure was installed with branches braided into it and bunches of dried grass. On a complete "lack of fish" and such a disguise is good. It is light, mobile and, with skillful manufacture, impenetrable to an outside observer.
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Old, broken armored vehicles are a great place to equip a position. Often snipers prepare so-called "stumps" for themselves. It can be either a real hollow stump or a stump made by hand on a frame. From under it, you can observe without fear of being seen, and shoot if necessary. Of course, all snipers know about “stumps”, therefore, before entering a position, they are often “shoot through” on their own or with the help of infantry. Protecting yourself from enemy snipers is never superfluous. Sniper shelters are often armored on their own and with improvised means. In general, there are no limits to tricks. Now the wire "spider" is in use. Metal rods on a single bolt, assembled into an umbrella-like design. He laid it out, disguised it, covered himself - that's it, the position is ready. You observe from there, you find a goal - it's a pity and go to a new place. Disguise is life.
After the camouflage lesson, we went to the obstacle course. A sniper pair in the person of a fighter with a sniper rifle and a soldier with a machine gun (in his place there may be a second sniper) had to quickly and trying not to stick out, overcome an open space with obstacles, covering each other with fire. The fighters from the support group provided explosions, smoke and shooting, trying to somewhat complicate the actions of the sniper pair. Some obstacles in the field were set on fire for greater naturalism.
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Snipers conduct combat operations as part of, for example, a motorized rifle unit. This means that the shooter, machine gunner, grenade launcher, radio operator, gunner and other important guys are going on the attack (or sitting on the defensive - it doesn’t matter). With them - a regular medical officer. That is, in the event of a wound on the battlefield, one of the comrades will be able to take out the wounded, and the first aid specialist will provide this same assistance in the shortest possible time, for which he is appointed in each unit.
Another thing is the work of a sniper pair as part of an exclusively pair, outside the combat formations of the unit. Two people work separately from everyone, it happens that at a considerable distance from their own. And in case of injury, there will be no one to provide even first aid. Except for yourself and your partner. Only self-help and mutual assistance remain - there are no other options.
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The most common task in this case is to establish where the fighter is wounded and how to help him. The sniper has few means to assist - mainly a tourniquet and an individual dressing bag.
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A special exercise was devoted to practicing the skill of quickly evacuating a wounded sniper from the danger zone by his partner. Noticing that a fighter is in trouble, a colleague approaches him in a belligerent manner, finds out how and where he was wounded, applies a tourniquet, stops the blood and bandages the comrade with individual bags. When the blood has stopped, and there is no immediate danger of death from the wound and blood loss, it is necessary to evacuate the wounded.
During the evacuation process, the sniper must try to perform all his actions unnoticed by the enemy, crouching as low as possible and using the available means of disguise. In our case, the wounded sniper was conscious according to the conditions of the task, therefore he was instructed to keep both sniper rifles on yourself and help when crawling, pushing with a “healthy” leg.
Photo source: oper.ru
The actions to evacuate the wounded were observed by a medical officer, guard lieutenant of the medical service. In his opinion, the task was completed with a "satisfactory" rating. First first aid was rendered quickly, correctly and in the proper amount, but at the stage of retreat, the fighters did not bend low enough to the ground and were a good target for the enemy.
Photo source: oper.ru
Further, according to the plan, everyone proceeded to the shooting range past the smart green “tanks”. Snipers fired in the prone position from conventional SVDs with conventional four-fold PSOs at a distance of 100 meters. The distance is not typical, but given the number of film crews and the desire of all those who gathered to reach the targets after shooting, it is convenient for everyone.
Photo source: oper.ru
At the end of the race, I managed to talk with one of the officers of a separate sniper company. The following questions were discussed:
What task can an ordinary soldier who has been trained as a sniper with his ordinary rifle solve?
It can confidently hit a target at a distance of 200-500 meters. At these distances, all typical exercises are worked out in a planned manner. In a real battle, a shot at a distance of more than 500 meters is simply impractical. What for? And yes, this rarely happens. During hostilities in the city - it is completely excluded. And do not forget about the need to identify the target as an enemy. A four-fold PSO sight mounted on an SVD rifle does not really allow this. How to make a decision to hit a target without being sure that the target is the same one?
Are there frequent shootings? How many shots are fired in the company?
In our unit, shooting takes place two or three times a week. Minimum - weekly, but this is rare. The unit is newly formed, so the attention to us is appropriate, it is necessary to train the personnel intensively. Cooking. We do not regret patrons.
Are there any "stars" of sniping among rookie snipers?
There is. 10 percent shoot really great, show outstanding results. Practice in this matter is not enough, you also need talent. So there are excellent shooters among seasoned contract soldiers with extensive experience and among conscripts who, before service, did not come close to sniper weapons. The sniper is a calling. You need to feel it and be able to control yourself. It's really necessary condition. Emotions, breathing, mood - everything must be in harmony with the rifle. The basics of shooting training are given to a fighter using standard tools, for example, the KYa-73 and KYa-83 command boxes make it possible to clearly and intelligibly convey information about the conditions necessary for an accurate shot. This is both theory and practice of aiming. Later we move on to exercises with live shooting.
How about hitting a target the size of, say, a head? Distance is kilometer.
Much depends on the weapon, on the sight, on the position, on the strength of the wind, on experience. In general, it happens. Not a miracle. Especially in order to establish a personal sports record.
Photo source: oper.ru
What about SVD? Good rifle?
How can you say for sure? The weapon, I think, is immortal. And its merits in practice outweigh any idle talk. I think it's obsolete, but for wide application in the army, it is still - "the very thing." There is no need to compare it with piece foreign rifles equipped with multi-thousand-dollar sights - after all, there is nothing like this massively in the army and never will be. And there is an SVD with PSO. And for her tasks, she is still an excellent tool. Those who wish, as elsewhere, apparently in the army, can buy any sight for their own. Yes, there is such a practice, we are constantly trying something new. Personally, I am not a supporter of such "weighting", I think that the simpler - the more reliable and better it will be.
Highly important detail- SVD rifle is hard to spoil by inept handling. Sometimes there is no time to clean. In real extreme conditions- took off his sock, hastily cleaned the dirty mechanism, it will work. When conditions are normal, there is no time pressure - mandatory cleaning after each use. If the rifle still breaks down or behaves strangely, it is officially sent to the gunsmith for repairs. After repair - again the procedure of fitting-tuning-shooting. I can't recall a rifle damaged by mishandling. Wear - yes. There is nothing eternal.
Are any specially selected cartridges used in preparation?
No, only those that come in zinc with the inscription "Sniper". Normal ammo. Reliable. But there are all sorts of singles - often sticking happens.
Photo source: oper.ru
Is the rifle assigned to a specific fighter?
The rifle is assigned to each fighter individually. He prepares weapons “for himself” himself - he adjusts, leads to a normal battle, shoots, cleans, grooms and cherishes.
Is there rivalry within the military collective?
Among the fighters there is some informal competition, the spirit of rivalry, of course, is inherent in the male team. Usually everyone knows who is capable of what, if a person shoots well - of course, he enjoys authority among his comrades. Shooting straight is prestigious.
If necessary - is it possible to make a decent sniper from an ordinary soldier taken at random?
Probably not. Snipers are the elite. Everyone cannot be the best. And besides, in fact, snipers, there are many other needs. We need intelligent soldiers in the release groups, in cover, in reconnaissance. Of those who have already fallen into the ranks of snipers, some are leaving. The sifting is there all the time. He changed his mind, failed, professionally unsuitable. Such people are simply transferred to other units, for example, to ordinary motorized rifles.
Any foreign experience is used in the training of our snipers? Is there anything new in sniper business?
In my opinion - all the most important things have long been invented. Sniper business is very painstaking. It is necessary to “sharpen” the experience that has long been accumulated carefully and specifically for oneself. The memories of the snipers of the Red Army help a lot in this matter. Of exactly foreign experience- found useful a German training film about the training of snipers, made for the training of Wehrmacht snipers. For example, a wire fan as the basis of a wireframe disguise is borrowed from there. We are studying the memories of our veteran snipers and scouts, that's for sure. Luckily they are on the internet now.
Photo source: oper.ru
What other types of training are required for a sniper, besides physical, shooting, medical and psychological?
For example, a sniper receives additional engineering training. It cannot be said that it is very deep, but it is quite capable of detecting, for example, a mine. Disposal of an explosive object is not the task of a sniper. Found - just bypass or mark. Well engineering intelligence nobody canceled.
What does a sniper usually carry on a mission?
The less cargo the sniper carries, the better. The main cargo is weapons, ammunition, appliances, water, food. Sometimes, if conditions allow - a walkie-talkie. The food is the most common. Dry rations, chocolate, stew.
How does a sniper feel when he hits an enemy?
There is no remorse or fear. There is satisfaction from a well-executed work that was taught. Did an excellent job - well done, rejoice. What is there to suffer? (Hmm, about the same feelings were experienced by a sniper, who filled up more than one German from his SVT during the war - the author.)
Photo source: oper.ru
How do snipers get hit?
Voluntarily. By my own will. After a tough selection, of course. We serve only those who want. It's in our own interests. Our division special purpose need, in addition to discipline and personal aspirations. People come, of course, different. There are more sensible ones. From ordinary, but professionally fit, we make good and excellent snipers. And about the "elite" - this is not just what they say. This "ideology" is imposed on the recruit, it is extremely important, without it it is difficult to develop and self-develop as a warrior. Yes, for some, as they say, wings open, a sniper rifle, again, not everyone gets it. They even say: only a sniper has a rifle, the rest have weapons. Well, we have badges. These are chevrons. Chevron must be earned. They are worn in the entire brigade only by two companies - snipers and deblockers. Chevron is truly prestigious. A great reason to be proud of yourself. Soldiers understand this.
During the sniper race, not only snipers worked in pairs, but also photographers.
Nikolai Makarov, chief of the general staff, said that each brigade of the Russian Armed Forces would be assigned a special unit consisting exclusively of snipers. Since in recent decades the course of hostilities has changed significantly, then in battle snipers are no less in demand than entire armadas of tanks. However, there are no corresponding sniper rifles in Russia, so the Russian military will have to buy it abroad.
Nikolay Makarov made a statement about special sniper units for each brigade of the armed forces to journalists, while at the same time complaining about the general quality of military equipment produced in Russia. For example, he spoke negatively about the newest Russian T-90S tank, which was exhibited in Nizhny Tagil and studied by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Makarov claims that the tank has a lot of flaws that need to be fixed before it can be put into service. True, at the same time, Makarov spoke positively about the tank’s shooting turret, saying that it is in no way inferior to the best foreign counterparts, and even surpasses it in some characteristics.
But at the same time, he argues that today the nature of the conduct of hostilities is changing significantly, so Russian gunsmiths must constantly adapt to this.
Makarov believes that today each brigade should be given a special sniper unit. Since today the role of snipers is increasing significantly, most of the hostilities are conducted precisely in cities.
Many domestic experts fully support this decision. Alexander Khramchikhin, head of the analytical department at the Institute for Military and Political Analysis, believes that this could be a useful innovation if all the necessary reforms are carried out correctly. Moreover, not so many resources are needed for implementation - snipers are usually recruited as privates and sergeants. It should be recalled that today a sniper is assigned to each company, but they did not undergo special training and did not perform combat missions on their own - only as part of a combat unit.
At the same time, a sniper unit can be used en masse, to destroy large concentrations of enemy manpower, or distributed among various units. It all depends on what tasks the unit faces at a particular moment. This is exactly what Andrei Frolov, an expert from the Center for Analysis of Technologies and Strategies, reports. It was decided to introduce such an innovation after studying the experience Chechen wars, as well as the Georgian campaign that took place in 2008.
Most likely, the weapons of snipers will be foreign rifles. Therefore, the Ministry of Defense is already purchasing sniper rifles from the British company Accuracy International.
British as well as Finnish rifles could be the best weapons for such special forces, Frolov argues. He believes that this market offers a fairly large selection, so you can give preference to the most suitable models.
However, the possibility is still not excluded that preference may be given to the old SVD, proven in battles around the world. However, Frolov believes that she has many shortcomings from the point of view of an experienced sniper. In total, at least 10 thousand rifles will be needed to arm the fighters of sniper units.
Frolov also spoke negatively about the quality of such domestic rifles as SV-98, SV-99, OSV-96 (caliber 12.7 mm).
At the same time, it should be recalled that over the past few years, the state defense order of Russia did not include sniper rifles at all. However, if the Department of Defense turns to the defense company, then specialists will be able to provide suitable designs that can satisfy all requirements with confidence.
In the suburbs, by the end of the month, shooting will be carried out using pistol, automatic and sniper weapons. Moreover, both Russian and foreign samples will take part here. Perhaps it is based on the results of these shootings that a decision will be made on the purchase of rifles.
In August of this year, both in motorized rifle and tank brigades, a new organizational unit was formed - a company of snipers, instead of separate platoons and lone snipers distributed among motorized rifle companies.
In the 18th separate motorized rifle brigade (Chechnya), a sniper company was created on August 1, 2011, and at the time of my visit (August 25) it is in the process of formation. Why hasn't it been formed yet? No one is forcibly driven into the company, only volunteers who themselves have expressed a desire to serve, and the former composition of the platoon of snipers of the brigade, are taken. The selection among newcomers is tough, preference is given to phlegmatic people, as they are more assiduous and unflappable. The simplest occupation, when for five minutes you need to lie motionless with a spent cartridge case placed on top of a rifle, without dropping it, allows you to quickly weed out unsuitable soldiers.
What a company is - it's a few dozen people in several platoons. Rifle platoons (on motor vehicles) are attached in case of hostilities motorized rifle battalions brigades, a special platoon (in armored vehicles) operates according to separate plans. The main weapon of the company is the SVD, SVD-S rifles, each of them has the VSS Vintorez rifle as an additional weapon. A special platoon according to the state should still have 12.7 mm rifles (OSV-96), but they have not yet been delivered. Also, Steyr-Mannlicher SSG 04 rifles were inherited from a special group of snipers, which was created in the 42nd division at the end of 2008 (10 warrant officers and 2 officers). . An old veteran warrant officer says that with this rifle he confidently hits a target at a distance of 800 meters, while with an SVD a confident defeat can be no further than 400-500 meters.
While there is no specialized training program for the company (it is under development), training is carried out according to the combat training program drawn up for a platoon of snipers of the brigade in Solnechnogorsk. There is a team backbone that has been sniping for many years, but most of them are beginners. The command of the brigade, taking advantage of the specifics of the region, plans to attract professionals from the FSB units performing tasks in the republic during a business trip to train the personnel of the company as instructors.
Now the soldiers are going through a kind of KMB, individual training is underway: tactics, fire, camouflage, individual adjustment of weapons. physical training far from everyone can withstand, for example, a company has forced marches every morning for 5 km. Even in the course of a normal advance at the shooting range, various standards are worked out in terms of tactics, engineering training, and topography. As if smiling, one of the commanders said: "You can, of course, go straight, but you can also make a detour."
There is no firing schedule (such as: "Today from 15 to 16 and that's it"), it is determined by the unit commander. They plan that fire training should be at least 3-4 times a week with a large shot.
3.They promise to give out equipment, but for now they use their own - backpacks, karimats, camouflage suits "Goblin" and "Kikimora"
4. Rangefinders received standard army ones, about which the fighters had a low opinion, those who graduated from the Solnechnogorsk courses were given much better (unfortunately, they did not ask for the name). Weather stations are received at all nominally. Of the navigation devices, Russian GPG / GLONASS navigators "Grot" are used, giving an accuracy of up to 2 meters (according to GLONASS)
5.And here is a fresh statement on the topic of what should ideally come out of the mouths of snipers:
"Each motorized rifle and tank brigade includes a full-time company of snipers, armed with domestic small arms", - said Vlasov.
According to him, a phased, layered system selection and training of snipers "for operations as part of a sniper unit and independently." "All snipers will undergo special training at training centers at least once every 3-4 years," Vlasov said.
Due to the wide variety of fire missions performed, sniper units are armed with several types of rifles with different combat characteristics. In addition to weapons and sights, a sniper pair / two snipers acting together / is also equipped with optoelectronic surveillance equipment - a small-sized laser reconnaissance device, binoculars and means for determining the initial data for firing. The individual and group equipment of a sniper pair includes a sniper complex, uniforms, equipment and other equipment necessary to complete tasks and maintain life, Vlasov listed.
A source in the Main Command of the Ground Forces clarified to ITAR-TASS that while sniper units are armed with existing domestic rifles - SVD caliber 7.62 and silent sniper rifles VSS caliber 9 mm. "In the future, we will either upgrade these rifles or order new ones from the industry," he said.
At a press conference on September 12, Nikolai Makarov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, told reporters about the plans of the Ministry of Defense to modernize the army. According to Makarov, The Defense Ministry intends to create a separate sniper unit in each brigade of the Armed Forces. Makarov also spoke about plans to transfer the country's Air Force to precision weapons and readiness of the defense department to purchase foreign weapons and equipment.
However, most of all journalists were interested in the general's remark about "sniperization" Russian army. So, Gazeta.ru, for example, wrote about the demand for snipers in the troops and the need to switch to foreign rifles. The RBC daily newspaper went further and filed an application for the creation of special sniper units in conjunction with the general's reasoning about the likelihood of social unrest in Russia.
How the transfer of snipers to separate units is connected with the possibility or impossibility of a repetition of the “Arab spring” in Russia is not entirely clear. In his interview, Makarov did mention that after the Arab revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya "The Russian army must be ready for worst case development of the political situation in the country". However, this on-duty statement by the Chief of the General Staff should hardly be regarded as a threat to use the army to suppress street riots.
In addition, the assumption of a number of media outlets about the intention of the Russian military to use snipers for these purposes seems completely implausible. What, if we talk about "Arab" scenarios, can snipers do with a crowd of thousands? they have a low rate of fire and a small magazine (the magazine of the main SVD army rifle holds 10 rounds), so there will be little sense from snipers against an angry crowd.
But if you leave alone the dubious political scenarios, then the words of General Makarov still arouse interest. For all their uncertainty, it is clear that we are talking about plans for a qualitative reorganization of the Armed Forces. According to the general, the creation of separate sniper units will increase the effectiveness of pinpoint fire on the enemy, especially in urban combat. In addition, the creation of separate units is obviously necessary for greater independence of snipers, which they did not have before.
Each such unit, the chief of the General Staff said at a press conference, will consist of several sections, and each section will have one sniper. Whether other military personnel will be in the department besides the sniper, the general did not specify. If we assume that by sniper units the general meant platoons, then it turns out that there will be at least three snipers for each brigade. Until now, snipers have been assigned to each motorized rifle company, of which there may be more than ten in a typical brigade. Thus, the creation of separate sniper units is unlikely to significantly increase their overall strength.
It is also difficult to name the exact number of alleged snipers per brigade because brigades in the Russian army are not only motorized rifle. Thus, it is not clear exactly how many snipers will be assigned to, say, artillery or tank brigades. To date, it is known that in the Ground Forces after the reform of the Armed Forces, 85. Thus, in the future, the ground forces will have only a few hundred snipers.
At the same time, according to the expert of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Andrey Frolov, in total, about 10 thousand rifles will be required for the needs of Russian snipers. How to explain such a discrepancy in numbers is not yet very clear - apparently, we must wait for new clarifications from the military. According to RBC Daily, the basis of the sniper corps in the Ground Forces will be contract sergeants, who are planned to be hired by 2012.
Snipers in the modern Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are divided into two main categories − infantry snipers and saboteur snipers. Infantry snipers usually operate as part of units and are usually recruited from the most accurate shooters. To train such specialists, special investments and complex training are not required.
Another thing - saboteur snipers, who are a kind of elite among shooters and are already selected from experienced soldiers. Such shooters usually act alone and try to remain unnoticed, using natural shelters and camouflage. Apparently, the Armed Forces are planning to equip new units with just such saboteur snipers.
« Currently the most snipers in the army North Korea- there are ten sniper brigades, - told RBC daily the head of the Center for Military Forecasting Anatoly Tsyganok. - Moreover, the North Korean army is the only one in the world that, in addition to snipers, also has 300 professionally trained kamikazes. Russia, of course, should not adopt the experience of suicide bombers, but it makes sense to take a closer look at the training of snipers in the DPRK. Because the problem will definitely arise now - how to cook such a large number of snipers, where to get them, on what base to train, who will train them».
The Soviet school for training snipers, according to experts, was very strong, but over time, unfortunately, fell into decay. " A sniper is a piece product, it has been being prepared for more than one year, so it definitely must be professional contractors, - pointed out. - Here we cannot count on conscripts, as in the old days, when there were enough nuggets from among the conscripts who learned how to shoot well from the SVD».
Rifles for new sniper units, according to the chief of the General Staff, may be purchased abroad. As Frolov suggested, the British company Accuracy International could become a supplier of rifles for Russian shooters. Currently, Accuracy International rifles of the AWM-F model (Arctic Warfare Magnum Foldable, folding rifle with a 0.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge) are equipped with snipers of the Alpha unit of the FSB special forces. Frolov did not rule out the possibility of further use of various modifications of the main Russian SVD rifle.
In terms of their characteristics, AWM-F and SVD are quite different, and in many respects in favor of British weapons. The name Arctic Warfare speaks of the suitability of the British rifle for operation at negative temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius, which is extremely important for Russian realities. The AWM-F's aimed fire range is also higher - up to 1100 meters versus 800 for the SVD. As an advantage Russian development you can call a store with a larger capacity - 10 rounds versus 5 for the AWM-F - and a slightly higher rate of fire thanks to a semi-automatic system with a vapor tube.
Considering a number of recent statements by the General Staff about plans to purchase Western weapons and equipment, the idea of supplying Russian snipers with more modern and technically advanced British rifles does not seem at all surprising. According to Makarov, if Western models are more perfect than domestic ones, then weapons "will certainly have to be borrowed from abroad."
Of course, the readiness of the generals to switch to Western weapons and equipment can be called an important step if this helps to improve the combat effectiveness of the armed forces. So if Russian snipers start to shoot more accurately, even with British rifles, this is only for the better. If only Russian citizens were not suddenly targeted.
