London, Aug 15 (IANS) A new bullet, which packs more punch and is called the ‘Dirty Harry round’, has been developed for use against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
British troops who are using the SA80 rifle could use the 5.56 mm ‘Dirty Harry round’ next year, Daily Express reported.
Soldiers had observed that their bullets had little impact at a distance of more than 1,300 feet even as the heavily armed Taliban guerrillas use heavier 7.62 mm ammunition and Russian AK-47 assault rifles.
Scientists at Qinetiq and British Aerospace have come up with the new high performance bullet that has a hollow steel head giving it more range and effectiveness.
The latest bullet is being tested at the Future Dismounted Close Combat research programme. Thereafter, the defence ministry is expected to an initial batch of up to a million rounds.
‘While our ammunition is fine at close quarters it has little impact over 1,300 feet,’ a Royal Marine was quoted as saying.
‘We are able to bring in secondary weapons to supplement our firepower but the new ammunition will give us an edge which at present we are lacking.’
