A new and improved British Army sniper rifle was officially unveiled today.

With greater range, power and accuracy than existing sniper weapons, the Long Range L115A3 Rifle is already being used by some soldiers in Afghanistan and many more are set to arrive in the coming weeks.

At GBP23,000 each, including all its related kit, the precision rifle is the most expensive weapon of its kind to be used by British Armed Forces.

In the right hands it can fire 8.59mm rounds at a range of 1,100 metres to reliably hit targets of just 10cm.

It will replace the existing L96 Sniper Rifle, which fires 7.62mm rounds, and is effective at 900m.

A total of 580 of them have been made under an GBP11 million Ministry of Defence procurement programme. Snipers in the Army, Royal Marines and RAF are being issued with the new rifles.

A senior Army officer, who requested not to be named, said the campaign in Afghanistan had seen the rebirth of the British sniper as an integral tactic against the Taliban.

He said: "There has been a renaissance in the art of the sniper. It had been relegated to a position of relative unimportance but this (programme) shows how serious we are."

The officer was speaking on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire as a group of camouflaged snipers demonstrated the new weapons on a 900m firing range, each repeatedly hitting man-shaped targets on or around the chest and face.

As well as fighting the enemy more effectively, he said the increased use of snipers currently was welcome because, unlike air attacks for example, collateral damage, in particular civilian casualties, were minimal.

One of the snipers, a 38-year-old Royal Irish Regiment soldier from Belfast, said: "This weapon gives us the advantage in range against the Taliban.

"It will be very hard to match. We're a step ahead of the game with this rifle - better range and heavier calibre rounds. You could confidently ensure a 900m kill with this, whereas with an L96 you could not have the same confidence."

The soldier, who requested not to be named, is deploying to Helmand Province in the next few weeks.

He said the range of the new rifle means the Taliban would not know there is a sniper team in the area until after they have been shot.

Among the new rifle's capabilities is a day scope which magnifies targets up to 25 times; a suppressor to reduce noise and flash and therefore detectability by the enemy; and a more discreet backpack in which to carry it around the battlefield.

The weapon was manufactured by Portsmouth-based Accuracy International Ltd.

Each bullet for the new weapon costs around GBP2, compared to 40p for those for the L96, and under 10p for standard SA80 rifles.

Snipers are enjoying increasing kudos within the British Army.

Candidates have to pass an intensive training course and are only selected for it if they display outstanding aptitude and maturity.

"Every soldier wants to be a sniper," said one trainer.