Four days ago we learned that the U.S. Army’s new Squad Designated Marksman Rifle will be ye olde 7.62mm Heckler & Koch G28. The German-made rifle — modified for our troops’ dining and dancing pleasure — replaces the M110 SASS 7.62 compact sniper rifle. “As well as providing better penetration of enemy forces’ armour, it is expected to be lighter, shorter, easier to carry and more ergonomic to use,” news.com.au report. Let’s compare, shall we? . . .
The M110 weighs about 1.1kg more than the G28 — so this new modified US Army G28 could potentially be even lighter than 5.7kg.
How much shorter will the new gas-powered sniper rifle be? The G28 is 96cm long, so that is about 6.3cm smaller than the M110.
But wait! There’s more!
To adapt for mission requirements, the G28 has a conversion kit.
For example, if a lighter version is needed for a patrol or assault rifle purposes, then the approximately 635g lighter patrol variant can be used. There is also an “Over the Beach” capability available.
Leveraging thermal and starlight imaging, the G28 is designed for fighting at night as well.
For close quarters threats, the modified G28 should deliver enhanced accuracy and performance while being easier to use.
The G28 is designed to provide accuracy of 1.5 MOA.
What’s the maximum effective range? The company indicates high first round hit probability up to about 792 metres.
All that for just $44.5m. Not per rifle, obviously. Back in February, thedrive.com informed us that . . .
The Army’s contract for roughly 3,650 sniper rifles . . . which works out to roughly $12,200 per rifle, although the contract includes other items, like support and spare parts.
A bargain? We report, you deride.