US concerned about Russian sniper rifle that can kill targets 2,000 meters away

The 68-page document, titled “New Russian Warfare Doctrine,” from the U.S. Army, says Russia typically deploys three layers of snipers on the battlefield. The first two layers pose a serious challenge to the enemy’s best shooters, but it is the outer ring at ranges of over 1,800 meters that Russian marksmen operate. Now, they are even more dangerous, equipped with the T-5000 sniper rifle.

"Russian snipers are equipped with modern weapons with higher accuracy than any shooters that US soldiers have faced in the past 15 years, they cannot be dealt with by conventional positioning and head-on shooting tactics," the document warned.

According to military expert David Hambling, before the T-5000 model was born, the main sniper rifle of the Russian army was the Dragunov SVD, a weapon with good quality but limited range. While the American McMillian TAC-338 can take down targets at a distance of 1,550 m, the Dragunov SVD only has an effective range of about 800 m.

The T-5000 has an effective range of over 2,000 meters thanks to its ability to use modern ammunition such as the .300 Winchester Magnum and .338 Lapua Magnum, replacing the 7.62x54mm ammunition of the Dragunov SVD. In 2012, Russian special forces used the T-5000 to win an international sniper competition.

Orsis T-5000 sniper rifle during an international competition. Photo: Vitaly Kuzmin.

The T-5000 features low recoil, adjustable trigger weight, a sighting system, and a barrel coated with a secret material to ensure accuracy.

With the expert advice of the Russian Precision Shooting Federation, Orsis applied many cutting-edge technologies to launch the T-5000 series in 2011. The company is equipped with a unique range of tools and equipment, including machines for shaping metal into precise shapes, digitally controlled furnaces, a supercooling chamber and the only grinding machine equipped with a video measuring system in Russia.

Thanks to its high-quality materials, modern ammunition and sights, the T-5000 is much more accurate than older Russian sniper rifles. A sniper can shoot through a 2.5 cm diameter circle at a distance of 185 m, as well as ensure hitting targets at ranges over 1,880 m.

Marco Vorobiev, a former Soviet special forces officer, said the T-5000 could compete with any sniper rifle in the world. He claimed it was exquisitely designed and produced in small numbers, more like a custom-made rifle than a mass-produced model.

Russian forces such as the Federal Security Service (FSS), the Federal Protective Service (FPS) and the National Guard have ordered batches of T-5000s. The delivery date is expected to be 2020, but some units will receive their orders this year.

In a modern combat environment, being pinned down by a sniper may not seem like much of a problem. However, new Russian doctrine suggests that a sniper team can pin down an enemy in a certain area, allowing rocket artillery to target and destroy them in minutes.

US Army documents recommend that troops retreat immediately when attacked by Russian snipers. If they delay, they will easily be decimated by Russian sniper and artillery fire. The Pentagon estimates that each such encounter will result in two US soldiers killed, while the Russian snipers will face no retaliation.

Russian sniper hits target from more than 4 km away

The US Army is researching improved tactics to deal with this new threat, such as using smoke grenades, equipping soldiers with special weapons, or using drones to detect and attack enemy snipers.

However, the T-5000 is just the beginning. Russia is developing a more powerful sniper rifle called the "Sumrak" (Twilight), capable of taking down targets at distances of up to 4,200 meters. Although it depends on many natural factors on the battlefield, the new Russian sniper rifles have redefined the "enemy's safe distance" and are likely to become a new terror on the battlefield, Hambling emphasized.

According to VNE