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Ranked: 9 of the longest sniper kills of all time, from Vietnam to Ukraine
Ranked: 9 of the longest sniper kills of all time, from Vietnam to Ukraine
Nathan RennoldsJul 30, 2023, 19:55 IST
A file photo of US soldiers using sniper rifles.AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine claimed in November that one of its snipers killed a Russian soldier 1.68 miles away.
That could make it the second-longest sniper kill of all time.
In November 2022, Ukraine claimed one of its snipers shot a Russian soldier from around 1.68 miles away, which could make it the second-longest sniper kill of all time.
There is no verified list of the longest sniper kills, perhaps not surprising given the circumstances in which they take place. It is possible that kills have taken place which should be on this list but were never reported publicly.
Insider's list compiles reputable accounts published elsewhere and puts them in order to give a sense of how the best snipers in the world have performed on the battlefield.
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9. Specialist Nicholas Ranstad (US Army) — 1.28 miles
The soldier killed six enemy officers during the Battle of Kibati in August 2013, the report said. One of the shots was said to be from 1.32 miles away.
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7. Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock (US Marine Corps) — 1.42 miles
Carlos Hathcock taking aim in Vietnam.USMC Archives
6. Sergeant Bryan Kremer (US Army) — 1.42 miles
Kremer is credited with killing an Iraqi insurgent in March 2004 while serving with the 2nd Ranger Battalion. The military outlet We Are The Mighty reported that the details of the event have been kept closely guarded by the military, but it ranks as the longest sniper kill by an American soldier.
Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper reported that Kremer hit his target using a Barrett M82A1 rifle.
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5. Master Corporal Arron Perry (Canadian Army) — 1.44 miles
Sniper rifles on display.Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images
4. Corporal Rob Furlong (Canadian Army) — 1.51 miles
Furlong is credited with taking out an Afghan insurgent at a distance of just over a mile and a half in March 2002. Furlong was taking part in Operation Anaconda in Shah-i-kot Valley, Afghanistan, per the Globe and Mail.
This list features three Canadian soldiers, a nod to the country's reputation for producing some of the finest snipers.
"Canadian snipers are the best in the world," Furlong told the magazine Maclean's.
"The sniper training program has been around for a long time. It's the foundation, and it's been retooled from lessons learned in Afghanistan. We've built it to be the best," he said.
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3. Sergeant Craig Harrison (British Army) — 1.53 miles
British Sergeant Craig Harrison, record-breaking British Army sniperWikimedia Commons
2. Unnamed Ukrainian soldier — 1.68 miles
A screenshot from footage shared by Ukraine's armed forces purporting to show a sniper kill.Strategic Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces/Telegram
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1. Unnamed Canadian soldier — 2.14 miles
The top spot is said to belong to a Canadian soldier, who took the title in 2017 during a tour of Iraq.
The soldier was part of the elite Joint Task Force 2, the Globe and Mail reported. It said he used a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle while supporting Iraqi forces.
"The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh attack on Iraqi security forces," an unnamed military source told the Globe and Mail, using an alternative name for ISIS.
Another military source told the publication that it was "an incredible feat. It is a world record that might never be equalled."