The Raiders of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division got to be the first to receive the new M110A1 Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (SDMR) that is based on the Heckler & Koch 7.62mm G28/HK417 rifle. The soldiers from the Raider Brigade who are mainly NCOs, started their familiarization in the classroom at Fort Stewart in Georgia last week  and ended with the familiarization firing the base’s range last 5 June 2020

David Parris, a former infantry Soldier and one of the civilian experts from TACOM said in a story on DVIDS by Sgt. Daniel Guerrero of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry, “The whole intent for this is new equipment training. We have given them a rifle that is precise and capable of closing the capability gap of 300-600 meters, which means it fills the maximum firing distance gap between the standard issue rifle and the sniper rifle.”

The M110A1 is also the base for the M110A1 Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS) that the U.S. Army initially selected in 2016 to replace the M110 SASS. .The first shipments started earlier this year with the Heckler & Koch having the objective of fulfilling around 5,000 to 6,000 units.  The weapon system also includes a SIG Sauer Tango6 1-6×24 scope and an OSS Helix HX-QD 762 suppressor.

“This weapon is an upgrade to the whole squad layout, and you can even work it in to combined arms warfare.” said Sgt. Patrick Nissen, a scout from the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1ABCT, 3ID. “I shoot long range, both in the Army and recreationally, and I really like getting down behind this weapon, it is very comfortable, it is a great rifle, and I really do enjoy it.”

Whilst the Raider Brigade are the first unit that have formally received the SDMR, other units got to receive units of the M110A1 in 2018 and 2019 such as the 82nd Airborne and the  1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division for evaluation and feedback purposes.

The NCOs who have participated in the familiarization will be going back to their units and are expected to help train the soldiers in the use of the SDMR.

Photos: 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division with the M110A1 SDMR (Sgt. Daniel Guerrero/U.S. Army)