A Canadian sniper team scan the landscape during an Afghan-led operation to arrest suspected Taliban operating in the Panjwayi district of southern Kandahar province, supported by Coalition forces, 28 April 2006. Three Afghan police were killed, while security forces shot dead two Taliban rebels in separate incidents 29 April in southern Helmand province, officials said.

A Canadian sniper team scans the landscape during an Afghan-led operation to arrest suspected Taliban operating in the Panjwayi district of southern Kandahar province, supported by Coalition forces, 28 April 2006. A Canadian special ops sniper team in Iraq has just set a new confirmed sniper kill distance record.
Photo Credit: JOHN D MCHUGH/AFP/Getty Image

Canadian smashes sniper record

A Canadian sniper team, members of an elite military group, have set a new, almost unimaginable, and probably unbeatable record for a sniper shot, over three and half kilometres.

Factors such as wind, distance, arc of the trajectory, and thermal currents all have to be accounted for in such extreme shots.  Additionally, in this case the height of the Canadian team’s tower location versus the insurgent on the ground also had to be considered, and at such a distance even the curvature of the Earth is a factor for the spotter and shooter.

A Canadian sniper team scan the landscape during an Afghan-led operation to arrest suspected Taliban operating in the Panjwayi district of southern Kandahar province, supported by Coalition forces, 28 April 2006. Three Afghan police were killed, while security forces shot dead two Taliban rebels in separate incidents 29 April in southern Helmand province, officials said.
A Canadian sniper team scan the landscape during an Afghan-led operation to arrest suspected Taliban operating in the Panjwayi district of southern Kandahar province, supported by Coalition forces, 28 April 2006. Including the new record distance, Canadian snipers now hold 3 of the top five longest confirmed kills. © JOHN D MCHUGH; AFP/ GETTY Images

The confirmed record kill took place sometime during the last 30 days in Iraq. Names and the location have not been revealed for security reasons but Canadians were last reported to be in northern Iraq advising security forces and Kurdish Peshmerga in a major operation to recapture Mosul.

From an observation post in a high-rise building, the soldier with Canada’s special force “Joint Task Force-2” managed to break up a Daesh (ISIS) attack on Iraqi security forces.

A Canadian sniper and spotter team in Afghanistan with a McMillan TAC-50 from the feature film Hyena Road
A Canadian sniper and spotter team in Afghanistan with a McMillan TAC-50 from the feature film “Hyena Road” © Elevation Pictures

Military sources say use of snipers is preferable in built up areas for its precision as opposed to use of airstrikes to break up attacks which may harm civilians.

The shot, which took several seconds to hit the Daesh terrorist, broke up the insurgents planned ambush as they had no idea where they were being attacked from.

The 3,540 metre shot was confirmed by video and other sources.

A group of Canadian Forces personnel are in advisory positions in Iraq to help security forces there. The action was sanctioned as falling within the CF role to assist Iraq in efforts to defeat Daesh.

The previous confirmed record kill was 2,475 metres by a British soldier set in 2009

Three of the five longest confirmed sniper kills have been by Canadians.

Canadian Forces have several models and calibres of sniper rifle. In this case the .50 calibre McMillan TAC-50 was used,

Additional information- sources

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