Snipers train hard for big games

“The glasses are so blurry, fortunately I still hit the target,” First Lieutenant Vu Van Duoc said with a smile after completing the shooting exercise “Fighting in a Residential Area.”

A member of the “Tactical Marksman" team practices firing.

As regulated by the organizing panel of the “Tactical Marksman” event, all snipers have to wear earplugs and shooting glasses. It is not a small difficulty for Vietnamese shooters because over the past few months they often practiced in hot and humid weather so the glasses are easily steamed up and blurred, causing difficulties for them to get sight of the target.

The Army Games 2021 is the first international event that First Lieutenant Vu Van Duoc will participate in since his surgery in 2018 after his ankle ligament was broken during a training session for a competition in Australia. Therefore, being selected as an official member of the team to the games, Duoc shows his high resolve and sets high goals. He gets more excited when the shooting exercises set high requirements.

The ten-strong “Tactical Marksman” team consists of experienced snipers who are used to competing in domestic and international competitions, such as the ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM). However, they must concentrate on their practice with the highest determination because most of the shooting exercises are tactical and realistic with targets placed at longer distances compared to other competitions. Moreover, many exercises require teamwork skills, smooth coordination between spotters and snipers, and good task assignment.

Vietnamese snipers are now confident in using K59 pistols and AK47 assault rifles after four months of training.

Together with the “Tactical Marksman” team, the “Sniper Frontier” team has also paid due attention to practicing the exercise “Shooting from an Uncomfortable Position” – one of the most challenging shooting exercises in the “Sniper Frontier” contest.

This contest requires high accuracy and other strict techno-tactical requirements as well as the skills in using weapons. According to First Lieutenant Vu Duc Huy, to hit targets, snipers must stay still in each position and each shot. More importantly, they must master the guns and the scopes by assessing extra-ballistic features such as air pressure, wind speed, wind direction, and the speed of the target’s movement. These are factors that directly affect the trajectory. Therefore, in each exercise, snipers must observe and make calculations quickly to make appropriate decisions and hit the targets in the shortest time.

For example, to down 30cm high obstacles, snipers have to shoot in a prone position. Thus, when taking part in the exercise, they must get into the position quickly and take a stable target acquisition.

In the Army Games 2021, the “Tactical Marksman” team has to conduct 14 shooting exercises while the “Sniper Frontier” team, with six snipers (four main and two reserves), has to compete in 23 shooting exercises.

According to Captain Hoang Duc Chung, head of the "Sniper Frontier" team, along with improving physical fitness and keeping stable target acquisition, snipers also focus their training on calculation abilities, improving competitive skills, and their mentality, all of which have a great impact on the trajectory and result of each shot.

All Vietnamese snipers are now ready to bring glory to the country.

This year, for the first time, Vietnam will host the “Sniper Frontier” event. The “Tactical Marksman” event will take place in Russia.

Translated by Mai Huong