The Army is upgrading a multipurpose sniper training range at Fort Benning, Georgia to handle new weapons that can shoot farther than the current range allows.
The improvements are part of a series of modernization efforts scheduled over the next seven years, according to an Army release.
As part of the modernization initiative, Burroughs Range was upgraded to extend a section of the range from 800 meters to 1,100 meters. A future upgrade includes some target areas being expanded to distances of up to 1,200 meters, offering improved training opportunities for soldiers using the range.
“The current sniper rifle system used by the Army has an effective range of about 1,000 meters,” said Shane Duncanson, Fort Benning range planner.
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The Army’s newest sniper rifle, the Mk22, can strike targets as far as 1,500 to 1,800 meters, Duncanson said.
The Mk22 is a multi-caliber, bolt-action rifle that replaces the M2010, M110 and M107 sniper rifles.
“The requirements for changes to the training ranges came from new weapons systems being introduced,” said John Nolt, acting director of Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization & Security at Fort Benning.
Completed in 1976, Burroughs Range was initially designed as a heavy sniper training facility, with armored targets placed throughout the training area, according to the release.
Additionally, a two-meter tall, 225-meter-long, 21-meter-deep berm, complete with a moving target rail system to its rear, is located on the west side of the range at 800 meters from the shooting positions.
“As the battlefield changes, our training ranges have to change, too,” said Jason Olive, Fort Benning range officer. “As Burroughs Range transitions to the Army’s newest Multipurpose Sniper Range, the requirement for a moving armored target was eliminated, which required the removal of the berm and tracks behind it, allowing additional line of sight and an area to incorporate the Army’s newest trackless moving target technology.”
The construction work at Burroughs Range involved leveling the berm, demolishing the obsolete rail system — which featured a 44-centimeter concrete base and a 20-centimeter rebar barrier extending along the entire 225-meter length — gradually leveling the land behind the berm, removing trees and clearing debris throughout the range.
“Burroughs Range was built back in a day when 1,000 meters was the farthest someone could shoot, and typically a solider would train at 600-800 meters,” Duncanson said. “We’re in the process of doing small incremental improvements so that we can use the new weapon systems and rounds at 1,200 meters.”
Personnel from Fort Benning, as well as the Georgia Army National Guard’s 177th Engineer Support Company, 878th Engineer Battalion out of Augusta, Georgia, and the Army Reserve’s 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion out of Birmingham, Alabama all contributed to modifying the range.
“This type of training allows us to meet directly on the job site with our active duty and Reserve counterparts,” said Warrant Officer James Jarrett, a construction officer with 177th Engineer Support Company.
The ongoing modernization of training ranges across Fort Benning is focused on improving soldiers’ training, readiness and operational capabilities, according to the release.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
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