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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.
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. And, in general, everything. There are no syringe tubes with promedol. In combat conditions, things can (and hopefully will) be different.
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 should 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 himself and help when crawling, pushing "healthy" foot.
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 for evaluation "satisfactorily". The first aid was provided quickly, correctly and in the proper amount, but at the stage of crawling away, the fighters did not bend low enough to the ground and were a good target for the enemy.
Further, according to plan, everyone proceeded to the shooting range past the smart green "tanchikov". Snipers fired in position "lying" from conventional SVDs with conventional four-time 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.
After firing, at the command of the deputy commander 27 separate motorized rifle brigade Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Aksyonov, everyone moved to the targets.
Comrade sergeant fired accurately and accurately. Well done!
Comrade sergeant fired accurately and accurately. Well done!
Here - the result is worse. But the sniper is also a beginner, just learning.
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, we need to prepare personnel strenuously. 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. This is indeed a necessary condition. Emotions, breathing, mood - everything must be in harmony with the rifle. The basics of shooting training are given to a fighter using typical tools, for example, commander's boxes KYA-73 and KYa-83 allow you 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.
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.
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. From precisely foreign experience - German was found useful educational 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.
What other types of training are required for a sniper, besides physical, shooting, medical and psychological?
For example, a sniper goes through an 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 sniper felt the same way , who filled up more than one German from his SVT during the war - the author.)
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. We have a special purpose unit, we need, in addition to discipline, 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.
*****
MO Press Club - thanks for stopping by. There, at the link - video of the Zvezda TV channel.
Accuracy - politeness of saboteurs
The idea of creating in each brigade of the Russian Armed Forces separate sniper companies was announced four years ago. As a source in the Ministry of Defense told MK, now "the implementation of this idea has reached the finish line and the formation of such units will be completed in 2015." They became necessary because of the growing role of snipers in the conduct of hostilities, especially in cities.
"MK" decided to figure out how they cook and what they arm on present stage professional snipers.
History of the snipe hunters
If you delve into history, then the definition of "sniper" first appeared in English army in the 18th century. It comes from the English snipe - "snipe". This is a small and nimble bird, the flight path of which is almost unpredictable, so the shot must be carried out “offhand”. I could only get into a snipe on the fly experienced hunter who owns weapons above the average level, and even then only in the case of an exceptionally favorable set of circumstances. The term "snipe shooting" has gradually been reduced to the shorter term "sniping" (sniping). By the end of the 18th century, the word "sniper" was already present in the letters of British officers serving in India.
By the way, during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902, the Boers with their long-range rifles got the British at any time of the day and, it would seem, in the safest places. The unspoken rule "three from one match does not light up" was born on the British positions in the Transvaal Republic. At night, when the officers were smoking cigars, the Boer sniper spotted the flash of a lit match and the flame of a cigar when the first one lit it, then the second officer lit it - the match flame moved, the second cigar lit up, the sniper took the lead to shift the fire. He lit a third and immediately received a bullet in the head.
Intelligence, nerves of steel and iron health
A candidate for professional sniper must meet fairly strict criteria, comparable, perhaps, with the selection of astronauts.
So, the age should not exceed 35 years. The applicant must have a sports category not lower than the second. Welcome ranks in bullet sports shooting, biathlon, athletics, tourism, mountain tourism, orienteering. Then service experience is taken into account. For example, a sniper candidate from among conscripts must first serve the actual full term of his service (12 months) in deployed motorized rifle, airborne, reconnaissance and airborne, reconnaissance units, special forces, units marines. It is preferable for contractors to also have experience in combat operations in zones of local conflicts.
If we talk more about physical training, then it is evaluated according to three standards: running for a distance of 100 m - 13 seconds, running for a distance of 3 km - 12 minutes. 30 sec., pull-ups on the crossbar with an average upper grip - 17 times.
In addition, the candidate must be single, have no bad habits, must not be only child family or sole breadwinner.
In addition to experience, health and excellent grades in shooting, you must have unlimited endurance and nerves of steel. After all, the life of a sniper depends on self-control and calmness. As the professionals say, the most experienced shooters on long distance- these are people with an analytical mindset, patient, dispassionate, planning their every step. Of course, they have emotions, but they have learned to overcome them in order to mentally send stress and anxiety into oblivion. Trained patience allows the sniper to lie still in the snow, rain and heat for hours, waiting for a shot that may not come. These requirements are very specific, and therefore not all candidates pass the psychological fitness test.
By the way, the knowledge gained at school is also carefully checked. Intelligence is also considered a sniper's weapon.
Army sniper classification
Of course, the most famous type of sniper is the saboteur sniper. This is, as they say, "piece goods." It takes years of painstaking training to prepare it. Such a sniper operates alone or with a partner (performing fire cover and target designation), often far from the bulk of the troops, in the rear or on enemy territory. Tasks - covert incapacitation of important targets - officers, sentinels, valuable equipment, disruption of an enemy attack, sniper terror (inducing panic on ordinary personnel, making it difficult to observe, moral suppression).
In order not to give away his position, the shooter often fires under the cover of background noise ( weather conditions, third-party shots, explosions, etc.). The distance of defeat is from 500 meters and more. Under favorable conditions, a person can be destroyed from a distance of 1.5-2 km from large-caliber 12.7-mm rifles. However, shooting at single targets of such small sizes from a similar distance is practically not carried out due to the large spread even for the best samples. sniper weapons. Saboteur sniper's weapon is a precision rifle with a telescopic sight, sometimes with a silencer, usually with manual reloading. Position masking plays a big role, so it is done with great care. As a disguise, materials at hand (branches, bushes, earth, dirt, garbage, etc.), a special “shaggy” camouflage coat, as it is called in the troops, “goblin suit”, or ready-made shelters can be used as a disguise.
And the most common type of sniper is the infantry sniper. It first appeared in the USSR in the 60s. Such a sniper, like a machine gunner or grenade launcher, operates as part of a unit. Sometimes paired with a machine gunner or a couple of machine gunners (cover group). Tasks - increasing the infantry combat radius, destroying important targets (machine gunners, other snipers, grenade launchers, ATGM crews, signalmen). As a rule, does not have time to select a goal; shoots at everyone in sight.
The combat distance rarely exceeds 400 meters. Weapon: self-loading rifle, the main emphasis on light weight and reliability. Sometimes such snipers are supplied with serial machine guns, which are selected at the arms factory according to the criterion of “hit accuracy” and receive an optical sight. Rifles infantry snipers rarely equipped with silencers.
Extremely mobile, often changes position. As a rule, it has the same means of disguise as the rest of the soldiers.
Sniper weaponry
Now a professional sniper is provided the latest weapons and special equipment. For example, a sniper pair is equipped with optical-electronic surveillance equipment - a small-sized laser reconnaissance device, binoculars and means for determining the initial data for firing.
If we talk about weapons, then snipers are armed with, for example, 6S8 or ASVK sniper systems of 12.7x108mm caliber, which can hit a target at a distance of one and a half kilometers. There is also a special VSS sniper rifle and its development - a low-noise VAL assault rifle and a modernized VSSM rifle.
But with the classic rifle, which a professional sniper should be armed with, the troops have not yet decided. The controversy that the current sniper rifles are obsolete and it is high time for the Russian one to be re-equipped with new-style sniper systems has been going on for more than a year. The "classic of the genre", the SVD rifle, has been in service for more than 50 years, and many experts believe that it is high time to hand over this weapon to the museum, and not to use it in real combat conditions. However, it is not yet possible to arrange a “sniper revolution” and replace the “good old” Dragunov rifle with a fundamentally new weapon.
SVD, or as it is also called “paddle” in the troops, according to weapons experts, is one of the best in the world in the class of self-loading sniper weapons in terms of such parameters as accuracy and accuracy of fire, simplicity of design and reliability of automation. Of course, it has a number of disadvantages, however, an inexpensive self-loading sniper rifle has not yet been created in the world, which has a higher accuracy of fire while maintaining the same reliability of automation as that of the SVD in a variety of climatic conditions. The disadvantages of the rifle include the fact that it does not provide the necessary accuracy of shooting at distances of more than 400 meters, the accuracy of the SVD is no longer sufficient to solve a number of sniper tasks.
High-end snipers need a rifle chambered for a more powerful cartridge, such as the .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6×70 mm), which allows you to confidently hit targets at a distance of more than a kilometer with high accuracy, which are also protected by means of personal armor protection. Now the Russian arms industry is ready to submit several promising sniper rifles to the Defense Ministry. We can recall the development of the Kalashnikov concern - the SV-98 sniper rifle, designed to equip the Russian armed forces, or the ORSIS T-5000 rifle. Probably both of these models will be used by new sniper units.
The art of being invincible
“The sniper is a hunter. The hunter must be invisible. The sniper's invulnerability demoralizes the enemy. Your method is stealth. Your working tool is patience. Learn to endure hunger, cold, pain, immobility. Only this will allow you to destroy the enemy everywhere, even in the depths of his defenses. The enemy is a beast. Track him down and lure him out for a shot. The enemy is cunning - be smarter than him. He's tough - be tougher than him. Your profession is art. You can do what others cannot. You are trusted. Behind you - . Be ruthless. You will win because you must win! The sniper is obliged not only to destroy the enemy's manpower, but also to paralyze the enemy's organization of current combat work with accurate shooting. To do this, destroy his officers; arrange an hourly hunt for his scouts, observers, signalmen, artillery spotters; smash their observation devices; blind the enemy; wean him from walking to his full height; make him crawl; do not let him lean out; sow panic among the lower ranks. The ultimate goal of a sniper is fear. Appear where you are not expected. Remember: the enemy must be afraid!
This instruction was compiled during the Great Patriotic War, during the defense of Stalingrad, the commander of the 62nd Army, General Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov. It is written harshly, but it clearly articulates the goals and objectives of the sniper. And in modern realities this admonition of the legendary commander has not lost its relevance.
Nikolai Makarov, chief of the general staff, said that each brigade of the Russian Armed Forces would be given 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 independently - 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 of the 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 purpose units, says Frolov. 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.
« At sniper courses, a trainer (or let's call him a sniper instructor) great attention pays not only technical, physical, but also PSYCHOLOGICAL training. A sniper lives with his cargo (killed people, God forbid, of course) all his life. He remembers everyone he worked for. And with this "photo album" not everyone can live in peace. Our shooting coach told a lot of stories about how people broke down after their first one and asked to go anywhere, but not with a “paddle” in the mountains. Psychologically, a person suitable for this military profession is very different from ordinary people.».
On the pages of our magazine, a special forces officer shares his opinion on modern use in the Armed Forces. Perhaps some of his conclusions may seem too harsh, but they are based on rich combat experience. The issues raised in the material seemed very relevant to us, so we invite everyone who is really interested in this topic to talk, the opinion of those who have real experience in sniper shooting is especially important to us. The author's style is preserved.
Well said. But it is only on one forum that a young man who decides to become a sniper is told that not everything is so simple. I've seen worse on other forums. Some young inadequate recruits immature minds into a super-duper secret office. And these "fragile minds", salivating, ask: " And there are sniper vacancies? In my opinion these minds will never get stronger.
An inquisitive young man must have such a picture before his eyes. Here he is alone with the faithful sniper rifle sneaks through the territory controlled by members of illegal armed groups (fascists, zombies, orcs). He is wearing a shaggy cloak of the “goblin” type, and his physiognomy is all in streaks of camouflage makeup. And now he alone "performs" the figurant, having finally seen his face, distorted in anticipation of imminent death. Doesn't it remind you of anything? Yeah, the movie "Sniper" with Tom Berenger in the title role.
Another "sniping" romantic, who played both Doom and Contra on the computer, ran around with a paintball "bolt" and "performed" more than a dozen defendants, decides: here it is, mine! Moreover, spring is the time for conscription. Where do I go? In the army, in the snipers! Yep, right now. Well, let's start to get disappointed, shall we?
Taking off rose-colored glasses
Sniper course? Has anyone seen the named courses? For example, in civilian life? Naturally, no. There are sections of bullet shooting and the like. But they won't train a sniper there. The coach in the section may be a real master of sports or even a champion and a good teacher. If you have the makings and abilities, then you will be trained as an athlete, not a sniper. Of course, this gives skills, experience in handling weapons, determining the distance to targets, calculating corrections, and so on. But the experience, you see, is specific.
You will shoot from a sporting rifle, this time. You will perform sports exercises, and not on a live target, that's two. Your target will be either static or moving according to the conditions of the exercise and will be at the established ranges. You will be wearing a comfortable sports uniform, you will be full and well rested. Well, perhaps you, as a well-trained athlete, will become a little “melancholic”, and nothing will annoy you and distract you from the conditions of the exercise. But sport and the performance of a combat mission differ radically (more on that below).
If you, having experience in training in the shooting section, were drafted into the army and you were sent to specialized training (of which we have a couple of pieces left), no sniper instructor will train you PSYCHOLOGICALLY! Does he need it? Where is the "Instruction on the psychological preparation of a sniper"? There's no such thing. And all the dregs that roam the Internet as educational material, is not suitable.
About heavy photo album
Let's go back to the preface: The sniper lives with his load... ". Here's the poor guy! He has a photo album, you see, before his eyes, it interferes with life. Is such a "photo album" possible in principle?
From the SVD, for example, the optimal range when firing prone to hit the enemy's head is -400 meters. And who among us, even with a PSO-1 sight at such a distance, is able to see a face? What's a "photo album"? If someone has to shoot at a real target, then he will most likely see a dark figure that has fallen down - and nothing more. There are other snipers in order to shoot at the "subject-figurant" by seeing his face. And believe me, they serve in other structures, and not in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and not even in the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. But we are still talking about the Armed Forces, so we continue to analyze the preface.
Someone's coach said that after the "first" the sniper broke down and did not ask to "paddle through the mountains." And why, then, was he taken at all?
Imagine that the commander of the group broke down after the first battle, the reconnaissance sapper drank himself after the first “lifting” with a real result, the artilleryman went to the monastery after the first successful attack, etc. In my opinion, this is nonsense.
About our Tom, Berenger
Okay, let's leave the preface. Let's deal with Tom our Berenger. Cinema is cinema. Here the hero of Tom received the task of removing the head of the drug cartel. Our hero goes to carry out the task. Let's consider what he brings with him.
Well, the first, of course, is the rifle. In my opinion, M24, if not, correct me. Its curb weight is 7 kg and about 260 grams, this is with straps for transportation and with optics. Further, the ammunition for the task is at least one hundred rounds. The weight of the NATO 7.62 X51 cartridge is 15.7 grams. Total, together with the pouches for carrying them, another 3 kg. Tom's second weapon was the good old M1911 A Colt. Weight 1 kg 120 grams. 100 pieces of cartridges of 45 caliber for a pistol - another 1.5 kg. Signal and smoke rockets - 1 kilogram. Grenades, 4 pieces, - another 3 kg. Means of technical intelligence, say, binoculars with a built-in range finder - 1 kg.
Means of communication. Since Tom is walking alone, he has a means of communication with the Combat Operations Control Center. The terrain is mountainous and wooded, and AN / PRC radios operating in the VHF band will not work, so something stronger is needed. Let's take a satellite station with a previously allocated channel. So, it will be AN / PSC-5, which is powered by two batteries, each weighing 2.04 kg, and the station itself weighs about 2.8 kg. Let's not forget about spare batteries, which means plus 4 kg. Well, the accumulation device, input-output, headset - another 1 kg.
Is it hard for you, Tom? But there is still a cape, a camouflage suit - this is 1.5 kg without branches and leaves. An individual first aid kit weighs 0.5 kg. Water, dry rations, interchangeable socks, a knife with a survival kit, a rug, a poncho, and so on give another seven kilograms.
And now let's count. I got under 40 kg. Taking into account the requirements of secrecy, a valiant sniper is landed 15 kilometers from the area of the task. At the same time, he must stomp his legs, penetrate as close as possible to the object and destroy the subject. But in the movies, we see a peppy bison-sniper, absolutely not tired when moving in the humid atmosphere of a mountainous and wooded area. In the frame, only flirtatious stains of masking makeup.
How did you conduct additional reconnaissance of the object alone? How did you get in? Oh, how beautiful everything is in a movie!
But in fact? Have you tried to crawl up a hill with a load of at least 20 kg when the temperature is under 30-40 degrees, or even more? One man, of course, is less noticeable in the selva than a group, but even alone, if you are half Tom Berenger and half John Rambo, little will come of it. Too much fatigue, both moral and physical. Under favorable conditions, the transition on an unfamiliar route will last a day or more. This means that it is necessary to precisely coordinate and verify the timing of the withdrawal subgroup, to verify information from informers and intelligence to the smallest nuances. Take into account a bunch of factors, including force majeure.
The sniper, if he gets to the object in time and penetrates the perimeter, then most likely he will not be able to shoot. For a more or less successful liquidation of the subject, based on the practice of various units, a minimum of a couple is required, and a group of four is best. That's when something will look more or less believable.
How really
Now, for some realism. When did we still use snipers, and exactly as it is depicted on some Internet forums - as a free lone hunter?
In the North Caucasus region? I remember the first Chechen campaign. I had a sniper in my group. Do you think I let him go somewhere a few kilometers away for “free hunting”? In fact, a scout with a banal SVD departed a maximum of 100 meters from the group and was always in sight or audibility. He worked according to my target designations or according to whoever he notices. Often to my cry when I did not see the result: " Well, got?” followed the uncomplicated answer: “ Yes x .. he knows, he seems to have fallen».
When conducting reconnaissance and combat operations in urban conditions, I used a sniper on my own, as it turned out later, correctly. When moving in urban areas, he was always close to me in order of battle. A scout was always paired with him. During reconnaissance of any house, this couple did not go inside, they were used as an observation group. The second scout was left with a station and binoculars, several rocket-propelled grenades or. The couple monitored the windows, insured the exits.
A sniper with an SVD has nothing to do in the house. When conducting reconnaissance and search operations in a mountainous and wooded area, the sniper was in his regular place in the battle order of the group. In other special forces units, as far as I know, snipers acted in exactly the same way. They were exhibited "on the chip" in the area of \u200b\u200bthe basing or PVD of the detachment, but no one went anywhere alone. True, there were exceptions, this concerned officers, but even those did not depart further than a kilometer from the detachment. The second campaign was exactly the same. I'm sure there will be a lot of people who want to challenge my opinion. For God's sake! I'm just dealing with facts.
About a conditional sniper in a real combat situation
So, you are the leader of the group. You have a regular number of snipers. Will you send your scout, conscript or contractor, one or two, someone to "execute"? The question is who? Does the group commander have information about some persons involved (leaders of the illegal armed formations) in the area of responsibility of the detachment? It is unlikely, or rather, it does not.
It is good if the commander of the detachment and the head of the operational-intelligence department have established contact with the operational-intelligence groups operating in the area, with "operas" from other bodies and departments that have their own agents. Then the information will be available, but the commander of the detachment is unlikely to be able to implement it himself, and the commander of the group or the commander of the company even more so. In order to launch the RGSpN to complete the task, a combat order from a higher headquarters is necessary. And the order is signed by the chief of intelligence of the group and the chief of staff. Of course, the directive to the detachment draws up an order, and the head of the department checks.
The order is not made in a vacuum. Studying the situation in the detachment's area of responsibility, collecting information from all sources, coordinating in all structures, verifying information on several types of intelligence (radio, intelligence, air thermal imaging), information from local, information from other interacting structures, and so on - this is what precedes the adoption specific solution. So, I have never made a single order to send a sniper (three times experienced). Yes, and other directions too. I'm talking about my combat experience from 2000 to last, 2012. And if I did, then the head of the department would twist it at the temple and send me ...
Well, what if you didn't send it? Imagine: for the sake of one person (even the most well-trained sniper), you need to start an operational case, coordinate artillery covering fires, and keep the group ready for evacuation. And the connection? He's a sniper, not a radio operator. And without it, there’s no way, we don’t have satellite small-sized stations, like Tom’s, which means that we have to carry the ARC station. Although no, you are going far, and she is dear, you will still lose. Therefore, you are wearing the familiar R-159 with the T-240 classification equipment and a set of spare batteries for it. And so on…
Given the realities, our sniper, unlike a movie hero, will carry a load of under 60 kilograms. But also helicopter sorties must be planned. But, as usual, there is no weather, and the board was given over to the commander, so the sniper will go on foot. Do you think he will go? No.
After all, among other things, he knows the stories about the scouts-murderers well. About those who exterminate local residents, and those who like to collect wild garlic far from home and with a machine gun in their hands. He remembers that after a couple of clashes, the entire detachment was overwhelmed by employees of the prosecutor's office and demanded to confess to criminal acts. The scout is now savvy, he is well aware that he has no legal basis for shying through the forests and eliminating the defendants.
Therefore, our experienced sniper will go out peacefully behind the parapet, equip a day room a hundred meters from the camp and will sit there all the time the group is performing a combat mission, waiting for target designation from the commander.
About weapons
What else? Why do I write about all the time, because we still have samples that are in service. For example, VSS. Range - 400 meters. The weapon is specialized and performed well, but in the context about which in question probably doesn't fit well with the material. There were cases when, in the presence of several VSS and AS in the RGSpN, very successful silent ambushes were carried out, but you must admit that for the “performance” of the person involved, there must be a certain margin both in range and in terms of application.
Well, for the rest of the rifles. The B-94 rifle weighs 11.7 kg, the effective range is almost two kilometers with a 13x scope. And now tell me, is this “fool” needed to be dragged in a group? It used to be dragged a couple of times, but quickly abandoned. In the forest, a range of two kilometers is useless. And the rifle is large-caliber and specific. To work with her, the sniper must be taught. Long and hard.
In the winter of 2000, guys from an adjacent department went with us, namely a sniper pair. They reached the forest and stopped, they themselves realized that there was no point in going any further. This rifle is good for combat operations in urban environments, and as an anti-sniper weapon. Her penetration is good, but for our sniper, who is on this moment It only lasts a year and is useless.
