Soldiers in Afghanistan will be issued with a new rifle this year. More than 400 Sharpshooter rifles which fire a 7.62mm round, are being bought as part of a £1.5 million “urgent operational requirement”, the Ministry of Defence said. Quentin Davies, the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, said: “Troops in Afghanistan are already bristling with a variety of weapons. The Sharpshooter adds to this arsenal, and provides an additional, highly precise, long-range capability.”
The MoD said the weapons were the first new, infantry rifle in more than two decades. Colonel Peter Warden, a team leader at Defence, Equipment and Support said: “[This] has been bought to fulfil a specific role.”