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Every Marine is a rifleman, but a Marine sniper is not your
average rifleman. Their “one-shot one-kill” mindset is heavily
influenced by the precision weapons system they use.
The goal
of equipping Marine snipers with a superior weapon system brought
teams from Marine Corps Systems Command's Infantry Weapons Systems
and Marine Corps Scout Sniper Instructor School to Fort A.P. Hill,
VA for a market research caliber study on a hot, muggy day in July
2016.
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July 13, 2016 - A Marine Sniper prepares to fire a 7.62mm NATO
through a M40A6 rifle with a chronograph attached during a market
research caliber study at Fort A.P. Hill, Va. Marine Corps Systems
Command's Infantry Weapons Systems conducted the study to inform
Marine Corps acquisition leaders about future Marine sniper weapon
system requirements. The IWS study involved the collected ballistic
data on three different caliber bullets shown at the bottom right
... from left ... 7.62mm NATO / .300 Winchester Magnum / .338 Lapua
Magnum with all fired by this and fellow Marine Corps snipers using
different rifles at distances ranging from 900 to 1,500 meters to
target. (Image created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Marine Corps
photos by Ashley Calingo)
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“As the Marine Corps' only systems command, it's
essential that we have Marine Corps snipers shooting and
Marine Corps acquisition professionals collecting the data,”
said Maj. Paul Gillikin, Special Purpose Weapons Team Leader
for IWS. “This is a Marine Corps-driven event with Marines
behind the guns, but we are still following along with SOCOM
and other Joint Service programs. This data will inform our
senior acquisition and requirements officials in buying the
next rifle system.”
The goal of the caliber study was
clear: to inform Marine Corps acquisition leaders about
future Marine sniper weapon system requirements, while
leveraging what is currently available in the marketplace.
The sniper weapon system has three primary components—the
projectile, the rifle and the optic.
“You need to
understand the application of the weapon system then procure
the system as a system,” said Gillikin. “If we want a weapon
system capable of engaging targets at, say 1,500 meters, we
need to find the right round—the right caliber—to shoot at
that range. Once you find the round that best supports the
criteria—the 1,500-meter target engagement—you build the
rest of the system around it. Even though we are assessing
three calibers in this event, we are actively researching
other nomenclatures to inform future system procurement.”
Gillikin and his team collected ballistic data on
three different caliber projectiles—the 7.62mm NATO, .300
Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum—fired by Marine
Corps snipers using different rifles at distances ranging
from 900 to 1,500 meters to target. For each caliber round,
the MCSC team determined the probability of snipers hitting
the target at each distance. The six snipers participating
in the caliber study routinely hit targets at distances
greater than the current standing requirement for Marine
Corps sniper rifles.
The snipers also had the
opportunity to experience other calibers available across
the Department of Defense, industry and those used by U.S.
coalition partners, said Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Lalota, the
staff non-commissioned officer in charge of the Scout Sniper
Instructor School at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
“The event allowed us to see the capabilities and
limitations of different calibers and compare them to our
existing program of record,” said Lalota, who also
participated in the event as a test sniper. “To be able to
equip Marines with a weapon system that neutralizes threats
in a higher caliber magnum cartridge would essentially save
lives on the battlefield.”
When the next sniper rifle
system will be acquired and fielded has yet to be
determined. Currently, Marines have the M40A6 sniper rifle,
which uses the 7.62mm NATO. MCSC began fielding the
M40A6—which offers better transportability, concealability
and ergonomics than its predecessor—to Marine snipers across
the Corps in June.
The caliber research is an
essential part of the overall acquisition cycle and will
inform the Marine Corps' Combat Development and Integration
Command, which writes requirements for new system
procurements, when determining Marine sniper weapon system
attributes.
The ultimate beneficiaries of this
research, of course, will be the Marine snipers.
“Marine snipers are taking shots way beyond what most
infantry guys and riflemen do,” Gillikin said. “That's why
we select our snipers very carefully. It's not something
where you can give a guy a gun and an optic and tell him to
go shoot at targets at great distance.”
By Ashley Calingo, Marine Corps Systems Command
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
The U.S. Marines
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