Apaches fire first shots at STANTA
Soldiers who fly and maintain the Apache attack helicopter have trained closer to home as they prepare to deploy on operations in Afghanistan.
Exercise Pashtun Sword saw 654 Squadron, 4 Regiment Army Air Corps carry out the first live firing of the Apache’s 30mm cannon at STANTA (Stanford Training Area), in Norfolk.
Ground crew were tested at rearming and refuelling the Apache at a Forward Arming and Refuelling Point (FARP) - the military equivalent of a Formula 1 pit stop.
The unit, based at nearby Wattisham Flying Station, in Suffolk, leave for a four month tour of Helmand Province next month.
Apaches have been permanently deployed in Afghanistan since 2006 with all live firing training in the UK previously carried out at Otterburn in Northumberland or Castlemartin inWales.
Major Nick English, officer commanding 654 Sqn, said:
“We’ve been working towards this tour since March, including training inCaliforniaand with the units we will deploy with. This exercise is a final polish of our individual skills and drills to ensure we are ready to go.
“It’s great to use STANTA because it’s on our backdoor and we can train while staying at home in Wattisham. The logistics are easier and it’s important to give everyone as much time as possible with their families before we go away for four months.”
The Apache’s role in Afghanistan is to protect troops on the ground, other helicopters and land convoys and provide a near all-weather precision strike capability.
STANTA is maintained by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which is responsible for managing and maintaining MOD’s land and properties. At 35 sq miles the ranges cover two per cent of Norfolk and are used 350 days every year by an average of 80,000 troops.
Lieutenant Colonel Tony Powell, Deputy Commander DIO Ops Training East, said:
“DIO’s priority is to support our Armed Forces as they prepare for operations. The size and nature of STANTA means that it offers excellent training facilities, ideal conditions and the perfect setting for specialised exercises such as these.“
Further information:
Press enquiries to Tony Moran, Communications Manager 0121 311 3879 or email tony.moran572@mod.uk
DIO website: www.gov.uk/dio
Notes to Editors
1. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is part of the MOD. We are responsible for managing and maintaining land and properties, as well as providing related support services, to meet the current and future needs of the MOD and personnel at home and abroad, and to support current operations.
2. Our work includes providing, supporting and improving: operational units; single living and service family accommodation; training areas and historic military sites. DIO actively manages these and supporting services, such as soft facilities management and guarding, to ensure the needs of Defence are met, value for money is achieved, heritage protected and environmental goals achieved.
3. The Apache attack helicopter entered service with the British Army in 2001 and is flown on operations by 3 and 4 Regiments Army Air Corps. The two units have provided a continuous presence in Afghanistan since 2006 on rotation and, in 2011, Apaches from 656 Sqn, 4 Regt AAC flew strike missions over Libya from HMS Ocean as part of NATO's Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR. Second line maintenance on operations is provided by 7 Air Assault Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. All three units are based at Wattisham and form part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, which is the Army’s rapid reaction force and combines the Apache’s potency with the speed and agility of airborne and air assault forces.
4. Photo captions – please credit ‘Crown copyright/MOD 2013’:
Exercise Pashtun Sword in full swing at STANTA
The Apache’s 30mm cannon
Apaches take flight over STANTA
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