Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq and the distance is astronomical.
Movies and Hollywood have made snipers a folklore and myth that brings fear into the minds of their enemies.
But this sniper shot is 100% real and it is unbelievable to comprehend.
A sniper with Canada’s elite special forces has obliterated the world record for the longest confirmed kill shot ever. An other wordly distance of 3,540 meters long. That is 2.19964 miles away. Let your brain think on that one for a little bit.
The record breaking kill shot was one that killed an Islamic State insurgent in Iraq on an operation about a month ago.
According to Globe and Mail:
“The Canadian Special Operations Command can confirm that a member of Joint Task Force 2 successfully hit a target at 3,540 metres,” the forces said in a statement. “For operational security reasons and to preserve the safety of our personnel and our Coalition partners we will not discuss precise details on when and how this incident took place.”
Below is a graphical representation of the previous record and some other long shots as well, as some factors that came into play at the time.
Sitting upon a high-rise elevated above the target, the Canadian elite sniper used a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle to make the shot. With the incredible distance of over 2 miles, the shot took 10 seconds to reach the target. If you have ever shot guns, you know that the delay between a fired shot and hitting the target at 500 yards seems like an eternity. Can you imagine it taking 10 seconds?!
The kill was independently verified by video camera and other data, according to The Globe and Mail. Rather than kill or hurt innocent civilians, they decided it was a better route to used precise and superb shooting skills from that distance rather than a bomb.
An insider from the military went on to say that this feat is incredible and might not ever be equaled. And the first thought that comes to me is, no way it could be topped, because that is an incredibly long shot. It crushed the previous record by more than 1,000 meters.
Besides the fact that the shot is over 2 miles, the wildest thing about a shot from this distance is you have to take in ballistics drop, elevation, wind, and even the curvature of the Earth before pulling the trigger.
Whether this was a calculated risk or not. This took incredible skill, eyesight, focus, and intelligence are all required for this shot to be successful.
In laymen’s terms, this unnamed sniper is a bad ass.
Sources: Globe and Mail, Colton Bailey
