Apache at War: Flying the world's deadliest attack helicopter in combat

by Steve Jones

**AS FEATURED IN THE TELEGRAPH**

The ultimate fighting machine...

The unflinching memoir of the elite combat pilot who flew it in action...

And his nail-biting story of training Prince Harry.


'Rounds slammed the ground all around the Taliban. He hit the earth face first, vanishing into the foggy confusion of desert conflict. The Apache's engines rumbled on as we orbited, hoping to see immediate harsh, hard proof that he was no longer a threat.'

Steve Jones is a former senior British combat pilot flying with the Army Air Corps (AAC), and Apache At War is his vivid and uncompromising account of flying 'the ultimate fighting machine', the Apache AH1 attack helicopter in action. From patrolling 'Bandit Country' in Northern Ireland in the late 1990s, to taking out Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in the mid to late 2000s, with active service in the Balkans and Iraq along the Steve Jones offers the taut, gritty, and graphic reality of flying in military service.

Besides his time spent in the air, Steve Jones was also a qualified instructor on the Apache. He brings us a first-hand account of his time spent teaching the then 'Lieutenant H. Wales' - Prince Harry - to fly and fight the aircraft. He tells of mentoring the hard-living prince, of equipping him with skills that would later bring out the best in him in Afghanistan, offering insights into Harry the soldier and pilot far removed from the media figure that we all know so well.

Immediate, dramatic, peppered with military insights and laced with laconic humour, Apache At War is a testament to the vital work of combat helicopter pilots, as well as an intimate salute to a truly remarkable aircraft.

Audible Audio

Published May 9, 2024

About the author

Steve Jones is a former senior British combat pilot flying with the Army Air Corps (AAC).

Reviews

[Brendan Newport · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mine was a hardback edition, but that's presently unlisted on Goodreads, even using the ISBN number.

I've read quite a few similar autobiographies centered around a particular aircraft type, but never one with helicopters as the core subject. The Apache AH-64D, built under license by Westland in the UK for the Army Air Corp is one bug-ugly contraption. Strangely the first helicopter Jones flew after the Gazelle trainer was the Lynx, which is a 'pretty' helicopter.

Reading about the Apache in its true environment, that is deep in combat with its full array of sensors and weapons primed, did make me speculate as to why air forces are so obsessed with 'fast movers' - that is jets that consume vast amounts of fuel, race over, say an urban environment at such high speed its rare for the pilot to be able to really pick-out anything of any use.

I'd wondered what Steve Jones had done after The Sex Pistols, but it turned out it wasn't the same Steve Jones! As-it-is this one is quite affable, willing to admit the occasional blunder and a strange weakness for a combat pilot; air-sickness. It take s a while for hm to get into the air, but through a combination of luck, the right instructors and quite a lot of diligence and determination Jones managed to get his wings and serve his time on the Lynx. Then onto the then-new Apache.

The lengthy accounts of encounters with Taliban are fascinating, though a map of Afghanistan would have been useful, as would an Index, a regular fault with non-fiction books these days. The Glossary though, has been helpfully placed at the front of the book, and it's worthwhile keeping a finder under one of its pages as you read, as acronyms are used regularly. Not sure what Kindle readers do...

There are a few instances of typical British humour in the first half of the book, one particularly about the alteration of maps is extremely devious, but when we get to the Apache and beyond, all that disappears. That's a shame, as Paul Tremelling, who wrote Harrier: How to Be a Fighter Pilot which includes accounts of the same events fighting The Taliban, keeps the humour going throughout. It would have been nice to know a little more about Steve. Did he have a hobby whilst holed-up in those god-forsaken encampments? What did he do on leave? It seems to be pretty much flying though, and when not flying, preparing for the next flight.

The final chapter, focusing on Steve's efforts to establish a post-AAC career, is amongst the best in the book. The earlier stuff about Prince Harry touches a bit too close to adulation, but I guess it couldn't be skipped.

[Paul Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping read, full of detail, enjoyed reading of a very brave man’s exploits in the AAC. Dropped a star - lacked any development history of the aircraft and had too much focus on the ginger ninja. Other than that - great!

[James Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, interesting following career, army training, pilot training and deployment in Afghanistan and other places. If you half like this would have to recommend Chickenhawk by Robert Mason book on Vietnam war training on and flying Hueys.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and good details without being overly technical.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, would recommend, my girlfriend doesn’t approve