According to the Washington Post reported on December 20, 2017, that the U.S. State Department "approved a commercial license authorizing the export of Model M107A1 Sniper Rifles, ammunition, and associated parts and accessories to Ukraine, a sale valued at $41.5 million.

M107A1 Sniper Rifle designed and manufactured by the American Company Barrett. (Picture source Barrett )

Nevertheless, the approval is significant, as it marks the first time the U.S. has allowed Ukraine to source lethal arms from its industry. Ever since conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, Kiev has sought to acquire American arms, but the U.S. under President Barack Obama was reluctant to allow any sales to go through.

The M107A1 is an anti-materiel rifle designed and manufactured by the American Company Barrett which has the capacity to identify and effectively engage materiel targets with precision out to 1,500 m. The M107A1 is a semi-automatic sniper rifle designed to fire a range of 0.50 calibre projectiles. The 0.50 calibre projectile is the primary calibre utilised by ABCA nations for anti-material rifles due to the projectile’s ability to penetrate, disable and/or destroy unarmoured and light armoured vehicles.

The high powered optics mounted on the M107A1 provide weapon operators with improved targeting capabilities as well as enhanced situational awareness. At approximately 13 kgs, the M107A1 is easily portable and can be carried by a single weapon operator.

The semi-auto M107A1 sniper rifle is fed by a 10 round magazine.