New rifle can help US soldiers hit enemies from 600 meters
The HK G28 rifle can hit a torso-sized target from a distance of 600 meters, outperforming the standard US M4 model.
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G28 version with silencer. Photo:HK. |
The US Army has selected the Heckler & Koch G28 rifle model for infantry squad shooters to destroy targets at long distances. With this new rifle model, squad shooters are able to penetrate armored targets at longer ranges than the current short-barreled M4 rifle, according toPopular Mechanics.
The move is aimed at helping US soldiers confront armored opponents in the future, as the US shifts its strategy from fighting insurgents in tight urban environments to larger battlefields.
Shortly after the US began its military intervention in Iraq, SEALs began deploying to the country with the M14 EBR, a modernized version of the M14 with improved accuracy, equipped with a bipod and telescopic sight, allowing for greater range than the standard M4. The US Army quickly adopted this rifle for combat operations in the Middle East.
However, the M14 EBR was only a temporary solution because of its uncomfortable design for the shooter, heavy barrel, and outdated operating mechanism that greatly reduced accuracy. Therefore, the US Army wanted to own a new rifle specifically for squad-level shooters, replacing the M14 EBR. This was the reason why the US Army chose the G28 semi-automatic rifle designed by Heckler & Koch.
The G28 is essentially an HK416 automatic rifle chambered for 7.62x51mm NATO sniper rifles. It is designated the M110A1 by the US Army and has a 42cm barrel, 20-round magazine, and weighs 6.8kg. It is fitted with a Schmidt & Bender 20x magnification scope and a bipod.
Manufacturer Heckler & Koch claims that the G28 can hit a target within a 3.8 cm diameter circle at a distance of 100 m or 23 cm at a distance of 600 m. This allows the shooter to hit the enemy in the chest at a distance of 600-700 m, beyond the effective range of most current infantry rifles. In addition, the G28 can serve as a suppressive fire like a machine gun at a distance of up to 800 m.
The US Army plans to buy 5,000 G28s for squad-level shooters, and 3,643 for individual snipers. Each M110A1 set costs about $12,000, of which the Schmidt & Bender sight costs up to $4,000 each.
