Taking aim: RAF snipers will be deployed in London to target potential threats to the 2012 Olympic Games
Death from above: The snipers will hover above Olympic sites in Lynx MK7 helicopters, like this one, which have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan
The Olympic Games in London will be protected from above by snipers on board military helicopter.
Sources say the military crackshots will fly above the capital in case terrorists attempt an atrocity at the event in Stratford, in the east of the city.
The RAF snipers are understood to have been training recently at the restricted Lydd military live-firing range near the Kent coast to sharpen their skills.
One source told The Mail on Sunday that the training had been designed specifically to prepare for an Olympic Games deployment to protect stadium sites in East London and elsewhere.
Flying in Merlin or Lynx helicopters, the snipers are capable of killing an attacker at a range of more than a mile using a Barrett ‘Light Fifty’ rifle, which fires a powerful .50-calibre half-inch bullet at 2,799 feet per second.
Even at night, the flying snipers can kill an enemy 1,000 yards away using night sights and infra-red lasers for target-marking as they keep in touch with commanders on the ground using encrypted military radio frequencies.
Their rifles have the power to destroy engine blocks and fire through concrete from long range, making it difficult for a terrorist to take cover.
The airborne sharpshooters were deployed in Iraq, where they were described by the Ministry of Defence as a ‘special weapon’ against the insurgent threat.
In Iraq, the snipers were on standby around the clock to provide protection from the air and carried out sniping and surveillance duties on the ground.
Now, they could find themselves on operational duty in the UK for the first time, helping to protect prime venues such as the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium and the Aquatic Centre.
Last week, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond revealed in the Commons after a question from his predecessor, Dr Liam Fox, that ground-to-air missiles were part of the armoury that may be used during the Olympics if required.
Mr Hammond’s statement was interpreted as an attempt to show how seriously the UK is taking the terror threat after it was revealed that the US is preparing to send 1,000 armed agents, including 500 from the FBI, to protect its competitors.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said last night: ‘The MoD has been fully involved in Olympic security planning work and it is anticipated that the Armed Forces, at the request of the civilian authorities, will provide some specialist support including the use of assets where appropriate. However, this will be a police-led operation and any military involvement will be in a supporting role.
‘It is too early to talk about the numbers of personnel who may be involved or further details around precisely what support the MoD might provide – but ongoing planning to meet a range of contingencies is sensible.’
The spokesman added: ‘This work is not in response to any specific threat but, as the Defence Secretary said in Parliament, all necessary measures to ensure the security and safety of the London Olympic Games will be taken.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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