Horizon's Lord

Horizon's Lord rifle next to (from left to right) 12.7x114HL, .50 BMG, and 14.5x114mm.

The Horizon's Lord is a Ukrainian anti-materiel rifle capable of penetrating targets at long distances.

According to Mayak, Horizon's Lord is designed to combat ATGMs, high caliber machine guns, light armored vehicles, and enemy snipers.

History

It is made by the Mayak company which is part of the state enterprise Ukroboronprom, at the Mayak arms factory in Kyiv (not to be confused with the Mayak nuclear facility) under the direction of chief designer Alexander Gordeev.

Mayak was founded in 1924 and made tape recorders and other items. After the declaration of Ukraine's independence, the plant became Ukraine's leading enterprise in the production of communication and recording equipment. In 2015 Mayak began production of a new sniper rifle, the Horizon's Lord.

Longest kill

The record for longest sniper kill (3.8 kilometres (2.4 mi)) was set in November 2023 by Viacheslav Kovalskyi, using a Horizon's Lord. As of 2024 this remains the current world record. Kovalskyi was working for the Security Service of Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Specifications

It can be chambered in 12.7x99mm NATO, 12.7x108mm, 14.5x114mm, 23x115mm, and its own caliber, 12.7x114mmHL. This caliber, 12.7x114mmHL, is a necked down 14.5x114mm created to have the capability of both anti-materiel and anti-personnel engagements.

The creation of this caliber came after multiple proposed cartridges failed to meet the requirements. The first was to use .416 Barrett or .408 CheyTac, both of which failed to meet the anti-materiel requirements. Although both are generally considered to excel at long range anti-personnel engagements, neither had anti-materiel bullet types available. 14.5x114mm was rejected for the opposite problem, that being its sub-par anti-personnel capabilities. This role would normally be filled by .50 BMG, however it didn't have enough velocity for the role.

Due to the difficulty of creating an entirely new cartridge and caliber, they repurposed two that had already been produced. By necking down the cartridge 14.5x114mm to accept 50 BMG, 12.7x114mmHL was created, with a muzzle velocity of 3,280 feet per second (1,000 m/s). Horizon's Lord was also designed to be adaptable in comparison to other similar rifles. It can switch between the previously mentioned calibers on the field, sometimes only requiring a barrel change. (depending on which caliber being switched from and to). Unfolded, its length is 71.65 inches (182.0 cm), and 59.84 inches (152.0 cm) folded. Its weight is approximately 34 pounds (15 kg).