Sniper

For the type of firearm, see Sniper rifle. For other uses, see Sniper (disambiguation).

Sniper

French and British (center) snipers equipped with FR F2, Accuracy International AWM and PGM Hécate II rifles (left to right, 2012) and camouflage ghillie suits
Occupation
Occupation type	Military, paramilitary, law enforcement
Activity sectors	Use of high-precision rifles and special reconnaissance

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

A modern sniper weapon system which consists of a sniper rifle (here Barak HTR 2000 chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum), telescopic sight (Leupold Mark IV x10), and additional optics

A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic sights. Modern snipers use high-precision rifles and high-magnification optics. They often also serve as scouts or observers feeding tactical information back to their units or command headquarters.

In addition to long-range and high-grade marksmanship, military snipers are trained in a variety of special operation techniques: detection, stalking, target range estimation methods, camouflage, tracking, bushcraft, field craft, infiltration, special reconnaissance and observation, surveillance and target acquisition.