British Army Sniper Team

A sniper team with the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (1 R IRISH) take a knee while on the move towards their target during a training exercise.

Sniper teams consist of 2 men. The No.1 man (left) is the shooter, usually armed with a L115A3 Long Range Rifle. The No.2 man is the spotter, here armed with a L85A2 assault rifle. The spotter is the more senior of the pair and commands the team. It is the spotter's role to select targets and make calculations for the shot e.g. measuring and factoring in distance, wind speed, air density, angle of shot etc. He also gives the command to fire.

1 R IRISH recently changed role from an air assault unit - operating within 16 Air Assault Brigade - to the Army's first Light Mechanized Battalion.