Army doubles original purchase of new Barrett sniper rifle
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The US Army is excited for its new anti-personnel precision rifle, nearly doubling their orders.
Budget documents show a new desire by the Army to obtain 536 additional Precision Sniper Rifles (PSR), nearly twice the original order of 357 previously placed.
The Tennessee-made PSR, which is built by Barrett Firearms, has been touted as the “primary anti-personnel sniper weapons system” for all the Army’s sniper units, and a replacement for the M107 in favor of a lighter and more accurate system.
According to Task & Purpose, the PSR “provides increased probability of hit over the current M2010 [Enhanced Sniper Rifle] configuration at distances up to twelve-hundred (1200) meters and increases range out to fifteen-hundred (1500), which enhances the sniper role in supporting combat operations and improves sniper survivability.”
Upgrades for the rifle include suppressors, optics and image intensifiers, such as thermal sensors.
Barrett’s PSR is also a multi-caliber weapons system, which allows the rifle to be used in a variety of ways.
The Army has no plans of slowing down- in fact, they are looking to obtain 1,516 PSR systems between fiscal years 2022 and 2025, raising the number to 2,545 at an estimated cost of $45.476 million through fiscal year 2025.
