S, these machines have proven themselves as the perfect tool for combat in Afghanistan. Designed in the mid 1980s to take on the Soviet 'Apache' is the first book to come from the cockpit of the most sophisticated fighting helicopter the world has ever known. And of course, not only would Macy and the rest of his squadron be employed in a different facet, but the enemy they would be pitted against would have their own version of what the rules were.An astonishing first book, Apache is a story of courage, comradeship, technology and tragedy, during the ongoing war in Afghanistan. By investing in the Apache, the British Army were investing in the theory of using helicopters as weapons of attack, whereas previously they had been used predominantly in a support capacity. Whilst his early career as an army helicopter pilot would be very different from his role in the Apache, it provides an essential insight into the man and the pressures upon him. Much of his Parachute Regiment training, along with his stints giving air support to troops in Northern Ireland would combine with his almost obsessive attention to detail in his work to drive him to the top of his profession. Macy steers well clear of this issue – and rightly so. At the time, the Apache was seen as an expensive white elephant by many – although this has since been proven not to be the case. It would be these attributes that would ultimately result in him joining the British Army’s first Apache Squadron.

The first true attack helicopter, the Apache is built to kill the enemy with pin-point accuracy from a position of safety – although as Ed Macy demonstrates with great efficacy this is not always the case!Ī former member of the Parachute Regiment, Macy found the resolve and strength of character (breaking pretty much most of the rules along the way!) to reinvent himself as an army helicopter pilot having been seriously injured in a road accident. Armed to the teeth with 30mm high explosive dual purpose rounds, Canadian Rocket Vehicle 7’s (rockets), the controversial “Flechettes” (five inch tungsten darts fired form a rocket travelling above mach 3.3), high explosive incendiary semi-armour piercing rockets and the terrifyingly named “Hellfire” missile you really wouldn’t want to find yourself on the wrong side of its “longbow” radar system.

The Apache Helicopter is without doubt one of the most technologically advanced and versatile pieces of military hardware that the British Army has at its disposal.

Hellfire ed macy