UK Ministry of Defence, The pilots and ground crew from 4 Regiment Army Air Corps, based near Ipswich, are going through their preparations before they take over responsibility for flying and maintaining the UK's Apache attack helicopters in southern Afghanistan.
664 Squadron, part of 4 Regt AAC, is currently getting ready for its final pre-deployment training exercise, which takes place at RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire, next week. It will be the first time the Regiment has deployed on operations flying the Apache.
The training schedule has been relentless, with some members of the Regiment having just returned from a two-month joint exercise with the Americans in the Arizona desert:
“Exercise Crimson Eagle took place in Arizona, February-March,” said the Commanding Officer of 4 Regt AAC, Lieutenant Colonel Neil Dalton. “The last people recovered from there two days ago. It was a very very high quality exercise.
“We made use of the American range facilities and we were able to conduct flying in very appropriate environmental conditions that we will find in Afghanistan – mountainous, hot, high, sandy – all the right conditions to actually allow us to get far higher quality training and prepare us much better for going to Afghanistan.”
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4 Regt Army Air Corps are currently preparing for their Afghan deployment
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Training with the Americans has also helped to stengthen bonds between the two allies in preparation for the upcoming deployment:
“The Americans also have aircraft deployed at Kandahar Airfield as part of Regional Command South, so we'll be working very much alongside them,” explained Lt Col Dalton. “When directives are sent by NATO they'll support us and we'll support them.”
Lt Col Dalton said that since Apache entered service with the Army, it has exceeded all expectations:
“It's performed extremely well. It's an excellent aircraft. It is a world-beating aircraft, I suggest, right at the cutting edge of technology. It's got an excellent range of weapons that make it the weapon platform of choice. It has an excellent range of sights and sensors, it's extremely well built, and it's got an excellent set of engines, made by Rolls Royce.”
Lt Col Dalton outlined the challenges facing the Regiment in theatre:
“The main challenge that we face out there is that of the enemy,” he said. “It is an enemy that is trying to defeat us and the threat there is small arms to the aircraft and also surface to air missiles. We also have the challenges of the environment; it's hot, it's high – which degrades aircraft performace – but it's also extremely dusty, and of course that causes problems when you're operating near the ground.”
Once deployed, 4 Regt AAC will have responsibility for flying and maintaining the Apache helicopter in Afghanistan for a year. Although this appears longer than the standard six-month tour undertaken by other regiments, pilots and ground crew have tours of three-months-on, three-months-off during the course of the year. Lt Col Dalton said:
“The first thing I want to do is to achieve success on the operation – to do what we are directed by our chain of command; to provide support to the UK forces out there and provide support to NATO. I am confident that the Regiment's very well prepared to do so. Secondly, I want to ensure that every one of my people deploys out there safely and deploys back again – I certainly don't want to have any injuries or any deaths amongst people that have deployed from this regiment, or indeed, the Joint Helicopter Force.”
Lt Col Dalton added that demand for the aircraft's services in theatre has rocketed over the last two years:
“Since [Apache] first deployed the amount of flying hours allocated to Afghanistan has increased hugely, and it's being used every day to provide support to the troops.”
He explained the aircraft's appeal to battle commanders in theatre:
“It has a fixed wing – it can loiter in an area – It also has precision with the guns. It certainly has the missiles. You also have an aerial weapon capability with the rockets. By virtue of those facts you also have proportionality – you can respond in a proportional manner to situations on the ground which is the key aspect of this weapon,” he said. “Link that to the sights – you also have the ability to find an enemy on the ground, to look quite closely at them , and then decide on the range of weapon options that you're going to take.
“You can also carry out reconnaissance roles and reconnaissance missions out there using the sights and sensors due to the fact that you can record video … we've got very high-resolution cameras and they can be zoomed in very close. And we also carry out patrolling missions such as providing overwatch for patrols on the ground and convoys and so on. So there's a range of options and we're always trying to consider new ways of employing the aircraft.”
In spite of its operational successes, the Apache's high running costs have been the source of much criticism and controversy in the media, but Lt Col Dalton says that the aircraft is worth every penny:
“I think the Apache offers huge value for money because it is so successful and because it is so competent at what it does,” he said. “I don't believe there is another platform that is actually operated by the UK Services, or any other Services worldwide, that offers what the Apache does.”
4 Regt AAC takes over from its sister regiment at Wattisham, 3 Regt AAC, which has held the responsibility of flying Apache in for Afghanistan for the past year.
These two regiments are the only regiments within the British Army to fly and operate the Apache Attack Helicopter, as Wattisham is now the only operational base in the country for Apache.
