Syrian pro-government sources revealed on June 22 that the Syrian military is manufacturing a sniper rifle, dubbed GOLAN S-01.
The Syrian Military Capabilities, a Facebook page observing defense developments in Syria, released several photos of the new rifle, which appears to be identical to the Austrian Steyr HS .50 single-shot anti-materiel sniper rifle.
Click to see full-size image
Click to see full-size image
Click to see full-size image
Click to see full-size image
Iran produces an unlicensed version of the HS .50 under the name AM-50 Sayyad, which explains how Syria was able to successfully copy the sniper rifle.
Unlike the original Austrian HS .50, which uses the NATO’s .50 BMG bullets, the GOLAN S-01 fires Soviet 12.7×108mm anti-materiel rifle cartridges. The Syrian sniper have a maximum effective range of up to 1,600m and its also equipped with a Syrian-made scoop.
The GOLAN S-01 is likely being produced by the Defense Industries Corporation (DIC), a national company managed by the Ministry of Defense of Syria.
While the GOLAN S-01 is a direct copy of the HS .50, manufacturing such a high-precision rifle locally remains a major achievement for Syria, which has been facing a devastating war for more than 8years now.
