Sniper team facts for kids

An army sniper duo, made up of the sniper (left) and spotter (right).

A sniper team (or sniper cell) is made up of one or more snipers and support personnel such as a spotter. Members can sometimes fulfill several roles. The spotter helps to closely observe the targets and their surroundings. The sniper fires the shots. Sometimes there may be extra members in the team, including someone to secure and defend the team's position, and to communicate with other teams. This third member is known as the flanker.

The spotter finds, watches, and assigns targets, and also watches to see whether the shot has hit or missed the target. They use a specialised telescope to do this. They also make calculations for distance and angle, and try to read the direction and strength of the wind. This is so that the sniper can make adjustments to the aim to make the shot more accurate.

As well as their long-range rifle, a sniper team is usually armed with a shorter-ranged weapon. This is to defend the team in case enemies come in close contact. Equally important is remaining hidden from view. Teams use camouflage, and choose locations where there is something for them to hide behind.

Images for kids

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  Vasily Zaytsev, left, and other Soviet snipers equipped with Mosin–Nagant M1891/30 during the Battle of Stalingrad in December 1942.

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  Over-watch being provided by an army sergeant during a high-level meeting. (Baghdad, Iraq)

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  YAMAM (Israel's counter-terrorism unit) sniper shooting with suppressed Barrett MRAD sniper rifles

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  A US Secret Service sniper on the roof of the White House

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  A U.S. Coast Guard TACLET marksman uses an M107 from a helicopter.

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  British sniper, training in Northumberland, 2010.

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  Frederick Russell Burnham in Africa

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  An Australian sniper aims a periscope-equipped rifle at Gallipoli in 1915. The spotter beside him is helping to find targets with his own periscope.

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  Soldiers raise a Papier-mâché dummy head to locate an enemy sniper

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  Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko on a 1943 stamp.

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  German sniper in Stalingrad, Soviet Union (1942)

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  A British sniper in Gennep, Holland, 14 February 1945.

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  Israeli sniper and spotter team training in a sniping range.

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  Royal Marines sniper displaying his L115A1 rifle resting on three-legged shooting sticks

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  US Marine telescopic sight picture during high-angle marksmanship training.

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  A sniper wearing a ghillie suit to remain hidden in grassland terrain

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  A U.S. Marine sniper wearing a ghillie suit.

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  A Special Reaction Team with an M24 Sniper Weapon System in 2004.

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  A Georgian sniper in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict (2004)

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  Bundeswehr sniper team in position, Kunduz Province, Afghanistan

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  Sergeant H.A. Marshall of The Calgary Highlanders. Canadian snipers in the Second World War were trained scouts. Specialized equipment includes Lee–Enfield No. 4 Mk I(T) rifle and scope combination and a camouflaged Denison smock. PAC Photo, by Ken Bell (September 1944).

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  A U.S. Army sniper team from Jalalabad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT)