The Territorial Defence Forces Training Center (CS WOT) announced that a two-week instructor training course for the designated marksman specialty concluded on March 30, 2026. Several soldiers from various Territorial Defence Brigades (BOT) took part in the training, carrying out the assigned tasks for the first time using the new 7.62 × 51 mm SpKW/D Grot semi-automatic designated marksman rifles (factory designation: Grot 7.62N).
Photos: CS WOT
“The process of training an instructor in the designated marksman specialty is a very demanding and time-consuming task, which already at its first stage requires the proper selection of candidates. For participation in the training, we select the best soldiers, who undergo qualification procedures during which they are subjected to numerous assessments evaluating their physical condition and existing knowledge,” said the training supervisor from the Territorial Defence Forces Training Center.
To become designated marksman instructors, soldiers qualified for the training are required to complete three two-week courses: basic, advanced, and instructor-level. During the first of these, soldiers improve their skills in topography, the fundamentals of designated marksman tactics, and conduct precision shooting at distances of several hundred meters. In the second, advanced part of the training, future instructors not only refine the skills they have already acquired, but also learn the basics of artillery fire direction and carry out specialist live-fire exercises.
“During the final stage of the training, we had to pay particular attention to professionalism in communication, which is crucial for effectively passing on knowledge. In addition, we had the opportunity to conduct live-fire training against modern moving targets at distances of several hundred meters, which was also not a simple task and required many additional factors to be taken into account,” added a participant in the training from the 5th Mazovian Territorial Defence Brigade.
In the final, instructor-level stage of the training, the soldiers’ main focus is on teaching methodology and conducting designated marksman live-fire exercises against moving targets. In this part of the course, Territorial Defence Forces soldiers, under the supervision of the instructional staff, take on the role of instructors by leading selected elements of the training. This approach above all allows them to gain practical experience, which, after completing the course and obtaining the title of designated marksman instructor, they will be able to use when conducting training in their home Territorial Defence Brigades.
Training conducted at the Territorial Defence Forces Training Center was carried out for the first time using the new Grot 7.62 × 51 semi-automatic designated marksman rifles, which are gradually replacing the previously used shooting platforms.
“One advantage of the new designated marksman rifles is that they are built on the same modular small arms system platform currently used by the Territorial Defence Forces, which means that every soldier can handle them with ease. It is a good and effective weapon, ideally suited to the tasks assigned to designated marksmen on the battlefield,” emphasized one of the instructors from the Territorial Defence Forces Training Center.
It is worthnoting that, under the agreement of February 24, 2023, the Armament Agency ordered 250 sets of 7.62 mm Grot semi-automatic designated marksman rifles (SKBW). The value of the order amounts to approximately 11 million PLN gross.
As learned by the editorial team of the MILMAG portal, around 60 sets were delivered to the 6th Airborne Brigade, which is currently pioneering the introduction of this weapon. In July 2025, we reported on a 10-day User Course for the 7.62 × 51 mm SpKW/D Grot Semi-Automatic Designated Marksman Rifle.
The new semi-automatic designated marksman rifles enable effective engagement of targets at distances exceeding 800 m. The service life of the rifles allows for at least 30,000 rounds to be fired. The ordered weapons are ultimately intended to replace the SWD and SWD-M designated marksman rifles currently used by the Polish Armed Forces, which are chambered for 7.62 × 54R ammunition.
Based on a press release