Sniper world record shattered and confirmed with McMillan Tac-50 rifle

Records are set to be broken and this one seems to be getting broken weekly. A Canadian soldier in Iraq has killed an Islamic State militant from more than three kilometres away, shattering the world record for a confirmed sniper kill in military history.

According to Toronto’sGlobe and Mailnewspaper, the gun specialist from the elite Joint Task Force 2 achieved the feat with a shot from a high-rise during an operation within the past 30 days.

“The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh [Islamic State] attack on Iraqi security forces,” a military source – who requested anonymity because the unit’s operations are classified -told the paper.

“Instead of dropping a bomb that could potentially kill civilians in the area, it is a very precise application of force and because it was so far way, the bad guys didn’t have a clue what was happening.”

The 3450-metre shot, which took about 10 seconds to reach its target, was independently verified by a video camera and other data, the source said.

The prior long distance record was held by a British sniper, Craig Harrison, who in 2009 shot a Taliban gunner from 2475 metres away during an operation in Afghanistan.

Joint Task Force troops are primarily tasked with counter-terrorism, sniper operations and hostage rescue, the paper said. The unit’s snipers are members of Canadian Special Operations Regiment.

According to the quoted source, snipers usually work with an observer.

“Canada has a world-class sniper system,” the source said. “It is not just a sniper. They work in pairs. … This is a skill set that only a very few people have.”

The Globe and Mail said the shooter used a McMillan Tac-50 rifle. The US-made rifleis known in the Canadian armed forces as the C15 Long Range Sniper Weapon and was responsible for multiple record-breaking shots during Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan in 2002. The weapon has a maximum effective range of around 3600 meters and weighs roughly 11 kilos.

According toNewsweek, the record shot means that three of the top four longest distance confirmed kills were carried out by Canadian snipers. The top four are:

1: Canadian sniper in Iraq (2017): 3450 metres.

2: British sniper Craig Harrison in Afghanistan (2009): 2475 metres

3: Canadian sniper Rob Furlong in Afghanistan (2002): 2430 metres

4: Canadian sniper Arron Perry in Afghanistan (2002): 2310 metres

Sniper records have been kept since 1967 and are used for the development of long distance weapons.