On the early morning of October 12, a Royal Marine sniper shot, with surgical precision, at a boat carrying US$46 million worth of drugs in the Gulf of Oman, disabling its engine and allowing the seizure of more than 1.65 US tons (1.5 metric tons) of heroin, crystal methamphetamine, and hashish.
The sniper fired from a Wildcat helicopter deployed from HMS Lancaster, which was operating in the area when it intercepted three suspicious vessels. When the smugglers realized they had been detected, they abandoned two of the boats, but the sniper successfully struck the engine of the third, disabling it.
The shot was an extremely challenging task, as the boat was traveling at a speed of 40 knots (about 46 mph) while the helicopter was flying backward to provide the best possible shooting angle.
Snipers are trained to shoot targets from a concealed position, in a location where they are undetected by their targets. This means that most are capable of shooting a target from a very long distance. Many of them have played vital roles in major conflicts, from the First World War to the current Ukraine conflict.
Indeed, there are many snipers who made history, and in this gallery we highlight some of the men and women who proved to be at the top of their game. Click on and get to know them.