Skirmishs at LOC, LAC & International Border

[aditya g]

Which rifle is being spoken of here?:

“He is being given training to operate a heavy Sniper made in the United Kingdom, which has a range of 2,000 m. The gun is a light weapon and is easy to carry. It has the calibre of 50/12.7 mm and its magazine has five rounds of capacity. Its total length is 60 inches whereas length with butt folded remains 48 inches,” a source said.​

Sniping of our personnel is definitely a concern. And loosing 12 men this year alone is a big number.

However, I am not sure if whether this is an increasing trend as we are hearing about such sniping for years. Secondly, Indian Army is also giving it back via sniping. Please see following report from Aug-2012:

The restricted operational environment of the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K means that special measures have to be taken to deal effectively with the enemy, retaliate against him and cause attrition. Both sides have very strong fixed, built-up defences with most weapons emplacements being housed in formidable, concretised shelters, making them impregnable except to heavy artillery.

In such a scenario, it makes it quite impossible to cause casualties among the enemy. While fire assaults using infantry weapons are common, they cause little damage to the adversary. The Indian Army has been known to haul even the ZU-23-2 23-mm towed twin-barrel air defence gun to pickets along the LoC, house them in concrete shelters and use them effectively against enemy troops and non-concrete defence emplacements.

However, there are always innovative methods in use to cause attrition among the enemy forces and deter them from misadventures. Sources in Pakistan reveal that numerous casualties have been caused among their troops by Indian sniper teams using the Russian Dragunov sniper rifle that uses the 7.62x54-mmR cartridge.

Lying patiently in wait for targets of opportunity sometimes for hours together, camouflaged and concealed with skill, the sniper and his buddy, the spotter, are a different breed of men. Their success in operations along the LoC validates the emphasis laid in recent years by the army on marksmanship and the attention given to the training, doctrine, equipment, ethos and tactical deployment of sniper teams.​

or this one from 2016:

Pointing towards a placard bearing the motto nailed to a pine tree on foot-patrolling track along three-tier fence, Sniper Ram Singh (name changed) said, "The enemy sitting across the Lakshman Rekha (LoC) is my prey and I am his hunter. We work as per this motto for those daring to cross this Lakshman Rekha."

Singh, along with other snipers, are highly trained and target hitting soldiers meant to hit specific enemies daring to breach LoC.​

However, there are also reports of our snipers lacking the best equipment and training.

Ironically it seems that CRPF has taken to snipers in a big way with SSG 69 and now OFB Sniper available easily to troops:

SSG 69 is in service with PA as well. Now I really wonder how relevant these are to COIN environment, wont they be better off with DMRs instead of bolt action types.

Lashkar militants getting 'Sniper' training from Pakistani Army

There has been a rise in the number of sniping incidents on the Line of Control (LoC) due to which over a dozen Indian soldiers have been killed this year. Sources say the Pakistan army is giving training to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants to target the Indian Army through sniping.

The Pakistani army is giving training with heavy sniper guns made in Russia and the United Kingdom inside the army establishments.

Highly placed Intelligence sources told The Tribune that the LeT had deployed teams comprising snipers on the LoC who are being assisted by the Pakistan army in selecting targets.

“The snipers are operating in buddy pairs and have been trained to engage targets in tandem so as to achieve better results,” said a source.

The Tribune is in possession of a photograph of an LeT operative, Muzammil, of Punjab province of Pakistan who is being administered training inside a Pakistani Army establishment with an official sitting behind him.

“He is being given training to operate a heavy Sniper made in the United Kingdom, which has a range of 2,000 m. The gun is a light weapon and is easy to carry. It has the calibre of 50/12.7 mm and its magazine has five rounds of capacity. Its total length is 60 inches whereas length with butt folded remains 48 inches,” a source said.

These snipers are also using Russia-made Dragnov Sniper Rifle with an effective range of 800 m, the source added.

With the kind of anti-infiltration grid put in place by the Indian Army on the LoC, especially in the Jammu region, and not even a single infiltration attempt being successful this year in this region, the Pakistani army and militant organisations across the LoC have changed the strategy and are relying on sniper guns to inflict maximum damage to the Indian Army.

So far this year, around 25 soldiers have been killed on the LoC and half of them have been killed due to the sniper firing from across the LoC.

Dealing with this changed strategy by the Pakistani army and militants has become a challenge for the Indian Army.
Pakistan has always denied having a hand in sniping and Border Action Team (BAT) actions on the LoC but this picture of an LeT operative being given training inside the Pakistan army establishment has exposed their design.


Change in strategy ::

With the kind of anti-infiltration grid put in place by the Indian Army on the LoC, especially in the Jammu region, and not even a single infiltration attempt being successful this year in this region, the Pakistani army and militant organisations across the LoC have changed the strategy and are relying on sniper guns to inflict maximum damage to the Indian Army.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/ja...iper-training-from-pakistani-army/468149.html

 

[aditya g]

Here is the rifle referred above:

https://**********/pdf/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-eS0CBPapuGE%2FTq0ZoZfh3ZI%2FAAAAAAAAEYI%2FTHC_qdKzTuI%2Fs1600%2FPakistan%2BArmy%2B%252528%2525D9%2525BE%2525D8%2525A7%2525DA%2525A9%2B%2525D9%252581%2525D9%252588%2525D8%2525AC%252529%2BArmed%2BForces%2BTroops%2BSoldier%2Bsniper%2B%2BKarabiner%2B98k%2BHK%2BPSG1%2BM82%2BBarret%2BSteyr%2BSSG%2B69%2B109%2B107marksman%2Btribal%2BOperation%2BRah-e-Nijat%2BWaziristan%2BAdministered%2BTribal%2BAreas%2BWar%2B%2525283%252529.jpg&hash=bba13d477c275e1d179761ad5186b6f2

http://www.newindianexpress.com/the...sniper-edge-over-pakistan-on-loc-1569609.html

NEW DELHI: Nearly a fortnight after the surgical strikes in September 2016, Pakistani snipers took out sepoy Sudesh Kumar of 6 Rajput regiment who was on patrol along the LoC in Rajouri. A week later, they struck again, killing BSF jawan Gurnam Singh with a shot to the head in Hiranagar sector, Jammu. Two bullets from a Pak sniper caught rifleman Sandeep Singh Rawat in the neck, killing him instantly as he stood guard along the fence in the Kupwara sector.

In the last four months, over a dozen Indian soldiers have died at the hands of Pakistani snipers. A shortage of the lethal lone wolves, outdated technology and absence of specialised training programmes are fraying India’s edge in covert border warfare. Lack of official acknowledgment in the form of awards and citations is a deterrent to getting fresh recruits.

Indian snipers use only technologically obsolete Russian-made Dragunov rifles of 1960s vintage along the LoC. Acknowledging its slipping edge, an internal report of the Army HQ stated, “Snipers are force multipliers to any infantry battalion. The high standard of sniper training and their imaginative employment leads to decisive and out-of-proportion results.”

The Army started its hunt to replace the Dragunovs around 2012, but the infantry is yet to get new, up to date weapons. Indian Army has two snipers per battalion deployed at the Line of Control.

Little training and outdated equipment have led to India’s slipping sniper edge over Pakistan. Pakistani shooters use modern sniper scopes on their Austrian Steyr SSG .22 rifles. Crawling through thick vegetation, they take up position to monitor Indian troop movement and choose targets. Pakistan snipers are posted permanently at border outposts, while before the surgical strikes they were requisitioned on operational requirement.

“To achieve effective results out of the precision fire of a sniper rifle, it is important that the forced incidental errors due to environmental factors be reduced to minimum,” the Army’s internal report said. It identified hi-tech sniper scopes for small teams to be regularly deployed in counter-terror ops in the plains and high altitude areas up to 20,000ft, such as Siachen, where light and wind factors play an important role in shooting accuracy.

“These sniper detachments operate in conditions where judging distance and cross wind error component adversely affects the external ballistics before the bullet strikes the target. The new sniper scope with inbuilt distance and cross wind component correction will help the sniper to engage with precision,” the report stated while stressing on the need for institutionalised training for Indian snipers.

The Army is compensating the gap by using conventional styles of target engagement and distance assessment. “Third generation telescope sights are accurate to an extent in measuring distance but it requires extensive training at long range. Laser range finders and hand-held thermal imagers are being used to measure accurate distance.

However, it imposes the penalty of additional battle load on the sniper detachments,” the Army report added by saying that optical refracting telescope with variable magnification sites are being used by many armies. However, these sights don’t cater for high-speed cross winds and rarefied air in high altitude areas.


Even the BSF, in view of the rising incidents of sniper fire from Pakistan, has taken preventive measures such as placing nets in border outposts and Observation Posts. A 10-metre high embankment will be built along the LoC too.​

 

[Johny_Baba]

Here is the rifle referred above:

http://www.newindianexpress.com/the...sniper-edge-over-pakistan-on-loc-1569609.html

NEW DELHI: Nearly a fortnight after the surgical strikes in September 2016, Pakistani snipers took out sepoy Sudesh Kumar of 6 Rajput regiment who was on patrol along the LoC in Rajouri. A week later, they struck again, killing BSF jawan Gurnam Singh with a shot to the head in Hiranagar sector, Jammu. Two bullets from a Pak sniper caught rifleman Sandeep Singh Rawat in the neck, killing him instantly as he stood guard along the fence in the Kupwara sector.

In the last four months, over a dozen Indian soldiers have died at the hands of Pakistani snipers. A shortage of the lethal lone wolves, outdated technology and absence of specialised training programmes are fraying India’s edge in covert border warfare. Lack of official acknowledgment in the form of awards and citations is a deterrent to getting fresh recruits.

Indian snipers use only technologically obsolete Russian-made Dragunov rifles of 1960s vintage along the LoC. Acknowledging its slipping edge, an internal report of the Army HQ stated, “Snipers are force multipliers to any infantry battalion. The high standard of sniper training and their imaginative employment leads to decisive and out-of-proportion results.”

The Army started its hunt to replace the Dragunovs around 2012, but the infantry is yet to get new, up to date weapons. Indian Army has two snipers per battalion deployed at the Line of Control.

Little training and outdated equipment have led to India’s slipping sniper edge over Pakistan. Pakistani shooters use modern sniper scopes on their Austrian Steyr SSG .22 rifles. Crawling through thick vegetation, they take up position to monitor Indian troop movement and choose targets. Pakistan snipers are posted permanently at border outposts, while before the surgical strikes they were requisitioned on operational requirement.

“To achieve effective results out of the precision fire of a sniper rifle, it is important that the forced incidental errors due to environmental factors be reduced to minimum,” the Army’s internal report said. It identified hi-tech sniper scopes for small teams to be regularly deployed in counter-terror ops in the plains and high altitude areas up to 20,000ft, such as Siachen, where light and wind factors play an important role in shooting accuracy.

“These sniper detachments operate in conditions where judging distance and cross wind error component adversely affects the external ballistics before the bullet strikes the target. The new sniper scope with inbuilt distance and cross wind component correction will help the sniper to engage with precision,” the report stated while stressing on the need for institutionalised training for Indian snipers.

The Army is compensating the gap by using conventional styles of target engagement and distance assessment. “Third generation telescope sights are accurate to an extent in measuring distance but it requires extensive training at long range. Laser range finders and hand-held thermal imagers are being used to measure accurate distance.

However, it imposes the penalty of additional battle load on the sniper detachments,” the Army report added by saying that optical refracting telescope with variable magnification sites are being used by many armies. However, these sights don’t cater for high-speed cross winds and rarefied air in high altitude areas.


Even the BSF, in view of the rising incidents of sniper fire from Pakistan, has taken preventive measures such as placing nets in border outposts and Observation Posts. A 10-metre high embankment will be built along the LoC too.​

That is RPA Rangemaster,from United Kingdom.A .50 Cal bolt action sniper rifle

For more info,read the description at official site at following link
- http://rpadefence.com/rpa-target-hunting-and-tactical-rifles/rangemaster-50-rifle/

 

[sorcerer]

This increase in sniper activity was expected even by amateurs like us. I'm certain the experts would have known. It would be interesting to see what our strategy would be to handle this situation.
I'd say blow up their forward bases for each sniping incident successful or unsuccessful.

pakis wil stop if we take their 20 soldiers for our one.
pakis soldiers should be made to pay for the misadventures of their paki terrorists.

 

[SanjeevM]

Do we have sniper rifles will 2000to 3000 meters range?

 

[Vorschlaghammer]

How feasible is it for us to get the Boomerang system, or something similar in small numbers, like we got Lorros ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boomerang_(countermeasure)

 

[Kalki_2018]

BSF already is using Vidhwanshak to take out pakis. It seems to be very popular being a AMR. I hope IA deploys them in number too. Not a real sniper but very very effective.

 

[aliyah]

Do we have sniper rifles will 2000to 3000 meters range?

nop bro we have very small 120mm gun to take on full choki. coz we dont believe in these single kills......thats y pak crying much in front of our ambassador

 

[sorcerer]

Sealing of Pakistan Border with Smart Fence by Dec. next year: Rijiju


Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs on Monday said that the sealing of the Indian border with Pakistan using smart technology-aided fence will be in place by December next year.

Speaking about smart fencing, Mr. Rijiju said that engagement of multiple agencies in border management was resulting in delay of implementation of policies and adoption of technology.


Citing an example of delay in processes, Mr. Rijiju said that when a full-body scanner had to be installed, the tedious tender process and other formalities caused unwarranted delays and there was a need to address such issues immediately.

Speaking at the second edition of 'Smart Border Management' conference organized by FICCI in association with India Foundation, the Minister stressed on the need for enhanced coordination and collaboration among diverse government agencies and stakeholders besides adoption of technology and change in the mindset for stepping up India's border management system.

Alluding to the under-developed border security, the Minister said that "Other countries exhibit their might by projecting their border areas as active by settling civilians and engaging them in trade and commercial activities. Border areas of these countries are well-connected, complete with basic amenities and telecom services, whereas, India has isolated its border areas, and restricted civilian movement and commerce".

He said it was imperative that border areas were as developed as the hinterland of the nation and this needed a rational outlook.

On marine police, the Minister said that the government was working towards strengthening marine police to secure India's long coastal borders. He added that to make India's border management system robust, secure and well-guarded, it was essential to have seamless coordination between policy makers and defence and security agencies.

"Though the government is working towards improving security and infrastructure in border areas, still some sections of border communities are dependent on infrastructure of neighboring countries," Rijiju said.

The Minister said that national security cannot be compromised at any cost and it was essential to develop border and coastal areas and connect them to the hinterland.

He also highlighted the fact that India believes that borders were not for dividing people but for bringing them together and engaging in trade and commercial activities for bringing prosperity.

The Minister also released the FICCI-PwC Report 'Smart Border Management -Indian Coastal & Maritime Security' on the occasion.

Dr. Subhash Bhamre, Minister of State for Defence, said that varying challenges were posed by each border state in India. The major challenges in border security were cross-border terrorism, insurgency, infiltration, narcotics, separatists' movement and smuggling.

"There was a need for coordinated and concerted efforts to strengthen policing and guarding of border areas while developing infrastructure. He added that power of technology was needed to be leveraged for effective border management system," said Bhamre.

Speaking about Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS), which has been deployed by the Government on a pilot basis on select terrains to boost India's security systems, K. K. Sharma, Director General, Border Security Force (BSF), said that the main components of the system were virtual fencing, command and control system, response mechanism, power-backup, maintenance and training. He added with the adoption of CIBMS, India was looking at moving towards network-centric surveillance from human-centric to counter the limitations of human resource. He added adoption of advanced technology and reduced human resource intervention was needed to strengthen India's defence systems.

"Smart borders on one hand should allow seamless movement of authorized people and goods, while on the other, minimise cross-border security challenges using innovation and technology enablement, said Rajan Luthra, Co-Chair, FICCI Committee on Homeland Security & Head-Special Projects, Chairman's Office, Reliance Industries Ltd. in the conference. He added that over the long term, smart border management will also have to incorporate systems that digitally monitor patterns of activity through and around border areas to root out organised crime and anti-national events.

The FICCI-PwC report elucidates the present status of various programmes that have been undertaken by the government, both in central and coastal states. In his theme presentation, Dhiraj Mathur, Partner & Leader, Aerospace and Defence, PwC India, said that, "It highlights the efforts required for enhancing costal and maritime security with support from industry, especially on the technology, infrastructure and capacity building fronts, and for building an integrated and collaborative coastal and maritime security management framework.

http://www.business-standard.com/ar...e-by-dec-next-year-rijiju-117091800902_1.html

 

[Bornubus]

Most probably the sniper supplied to BAT/ Terrorists is old 7.62 mm Accuracy International.


If you guys remember few months back .. @hammer head
@reddevil9

 

[Indian Sniper.001]

A wet dream for jingos. Hearing such talk from the IA.

http://zeenews.india.com/india/indi...ke-whenever-needed-lt-gen-d-anbu-2040230.html

Jammu: Lt General Devraj Anbu, who heads the Northern Command, on Thursday said that the Indian Army will breach the Line of Control and launch strike against enemies whenever the need arises in future.

Showing a firm stand on border disputes and continuous ceasefire violations from the Pakistan side, Anbu, the General Officer Commander-in-Chief (GOC) of Northern Command, also warned Pakistan of a similar action if it doesn't limit its terror activities.

When we want to we will be able to breach it (LoC), go across and strike when we need, Lt. Gen D Anbu was quoted as saying by ANI.





Reacting to the last year's surgical strikes by the Indian Army, he said, ''It was a point we wanted to drive home across that LoC is not a line that cannot be breached.''

Through Army's unprecedented action, we sent a subtle message that we wanted to convey, he added.

Justifying the surgical strikes by the Indian Army, Lt. Gen D Anbu said, ''A large number of terrorist camps and launch pads exist across south and north of Pir Panjal, they have not decreased, so this kind of action is needed.''

Anbu made these remarks in Udhampur.

Praising the efforts of the armed forces in checking incidents of cross-border infiltration, Lt. General Anbu said, ''While a lot of attempts are made by terrorists (to infiltrate) every year, but most are not successful, there has been a sharp decline.''

Our brave soldiers have been foiling their (terrorists) attempts to infiltrate into Kashmir Valley and elsewhere in the Jammu region, Anbu said.

Lt Gen Devraj Anbu was appointed as new chief of strategically important Northern Command in place of Lt. Gen. DS Hooda, who retired on November 30, last year.

Anbu took charge of the Command on December 1.

In September last year, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control dismantling at least seven camps in PoK.

A team of army commandos carried out the operation after getting a go ahead from the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

 

[NeXoft007]

1 paki soldier Mirza Asif was killed by Indian Army on 11th September, 2017 at Forward Kahota Sector, PoK

.
Here's the twitter link for more pics, infos and a video.

 

[indiatester]

A wet dream for jingos. Hearing such talk from the IA.

http://zeenews.india.com/india/indi...ke-whenever-needed-lt-gen-d-anbu-2040230.html

Jammu: Lt General Devraj Anbu, who heads the Northern Command, on Thursday said that the Indian Army will breach the Line of Control and launch strike against enemies whenever the need arises in future.

Showing a firm stand on border disputes and continuous ceasefire violations from the Pakistan side, Anbu, the General Officer Commander-in-Chief (GOC) of Northern Command, also warned Pakistan of a similar action if it doesn't limit its terror activities.

When we want to we will be able to breach it (LoC), go across and strike when we need, Lt. Gen D Anbu was quoted as saying by ANI.





Reacting to the last year's surgical strikes by the Indian Army, he said, ''It was a point we wanted to drive home across that LoC is not a line that cannot be breached.''

Through Army's unprecedented action, we sent a subtle message that we wanted to convey, he added.

Justifying the surgical strikes by the Indian Army, Lt. Gen D Anbu said, ''A large number of terrorist camps and launch pads exist across south and north of Pir Panjal, they have not decreased, so this kind of action is needed.''

Anbu made these remarks in Udhampur.

Praising the efforts of the armed forces in checking incidents of cross-border infiltration, Lt. General Anbu said, ''While a lot of attempts are made by terrorists (to infiltrate) every year, but most are not successful, there has been a sharp decline.''

Our brave soldiers have been foiling their (terrorists) attempts to infiltrate into Kashmir Valley and elsewhere in the Jammu region, Anbu said.

Lt Gen Devraj Anbu was appointed as new chief of strategically important Northern Command in place of Lt. Gen. DS Hooda, who retired on November 30, last year.

Anbu took charge of the Command on December 1.

In September last year, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control dismantling at least seven camps in PoK.

A team of army commandos carried out the operation after getting a go ahead from the Narendra Modi-led BJP government.

I had expected the surgical strikes to set a new normal of deliberate breaching of LOC for preemptive purposes. They left is as a one off incident. Not sure of the costs though. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[patriots]

why we r not using artilleries in loc,is there any conditions that we can't use heavy weapons in peace time

 

[Indian Sniper.001]

I had expected the surgical strikes to set a new normal of deliberate breaching of LOC for preemptive purposes. They left is as a one off incident. Not sure of the costs though. What are your thoughts on this?

It seems that we have penetrated LoC again, but there is no news of that. Now with a flurry of such statements shows that something is cooking. Will wait and see.

 

[pankaj nema]

India Gives It Back To Pakistan – Destroys Six Enemy Outposts At LoC

http://topyaps.com/india-pakistan-loc

 

[Screambowl]

why we r not using artilleries in loc,is there any conditions that we can't use heavy weapons in peace time

no need
waste of ammo and money.

 

[Suryavanshi]

Does this gun do Kadi Ninda as well

 

[tarunraju]

Does this gun do Kadi Ninda as well

Kadi Ninda must be super effective. There's not been a single single terrorist attack on an Indian city since May 2014 (touchwood).

 

[Kalki_2018]

That 800 m sniper is good enough for CRPF and other internal counter insurgency forces. But IA needs something better.