Army Sniper School tests portable sloping roofs
FORT MOORE, Ga. — As the world’s potential hot spots change and technology evolves, America’s fighting force constantly seeks new ways to remain both lethal and effective. Nowhere is this more prevalent than at Fort Moore, Georgia, the home of the United States Army Sniper School.
Established in 1987 at what was then Fort Benning, the United States Army Sniper School is part of the Army Infantry Center. Its mission is to train snipers from around the Army to be the best in the world and be familiar with the most cutting-edge technology, techniques, and tactics.
That means studying everything they can about contemporary long-distance precision shooting, not just from U.S. operations around the world but also from places as far as Ukraine and as close as Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, a 20-year-old Pennsylvanian unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.
Although the shooter was unsuccessful, he did strike Trump with one round in the ear before being killed by U.S. Secret Service counter-sniper teams. Shooting from a rooftop a mere 150 meters from the former president, Thomas Matthew Crookes, of Bethel Park, managed to elude the Secret Service’s elite Presidential Protection Detail, FBI personnel, and local police to find his perch and attempt to change history.
His secret? A sloped roof.
Due to Crooke’s clever use of a sloped roof, an untrained high school graduate who wasn’t old enough to buy a beer defeated some of the most elite security and dignitary protection forces in the modern world.
Realizing the incredible force protection opportunities, the Army Sniper School’s research and development team has developed a prototype for a man-portable sloping roof that can be carried by sniper teams and deployed on the battlefield.
Called the Operational Overhead Protection for Snipers, or OOPS system, it provides an unmatched level of camouflage to allow snipers to remain hidden even at distances well under 200 meters and amid multiple levels of armed opposition.
“This is honestly the biggest game changer since night vision,” said Capt. Ryan Kowalski, commander of the Army Sniper School. “With this technology, our snipers will be able to get literally within rock-throwing distance of targets, no matter how robust their security forces.”
Weighing only 9.45 pounds, the foldable OOPS system can be configured to attach to a sniper’s drag bag system and deployed by either the sniper or spotter, depending on operational necessity.
“As of now, the obvious weakness is the OOPS provides little to no cover. It’s not stopping bullets. So, that’s something the nerds at R&D need to work on. But the concealment is absolutely unmatched.”
In addition to providing the OOPS System with ballistic protection, engineers are working on making the system lighter and creating variants that can be jumped in by airborne forces or deployed by waterborne assets such as Navy SEALs and Army Combat Divers.
Senior noncommissioned officers involved in testing the OOPS System have recommended strongly worded and enforceable regulations accompanying the rollout of the new technology. Unconfirmed reports from sources requesting anonymity say three Army Specialists assigned to the Sniper School have used the OOPS Systems to sham out of work details for up to 10 consecutive hours.
