British pilots have unleashed the awesome firepower of their Apaches for the first time to blitz Gaddafi's forces.
Two £40million Army Air Corps Apache WAH 64Ds - call signs Ugly 5-1 and Ugly 5-2 - obliterated a key radar and communications centre and killed a number of Libyan soldiers who fired at them from the back of a pick-up truck.
They lifted off from Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean, two miles off Libya's eastern port of Brega.
They were each manned by a pilot and co-pilot of 656 Squadron Army Air Corps from Prince Harry's air base at Wattisham in Suffolk.
The Apaches bristle with 16 Hellfire 'fire-and-forget' air-to-ground missiles and an M230 chain gun. The chain gun fires 30-calibre rounds at a rate of 625 per minute with a muzzle velocity of 2,641ft a second and an effective range of 1,640 yards - obliterating all in its path.
Captain Andrew Betton, commanding officer of HMS Ocean, said: 'The idea of bringing Apaches into the mix is to increase the pressure on Gaddafi's forces. It will enable us in time, if necessary, to attack a different suite of targets.'
British Foreign Secretary William Hague also visited Libya yesterday. Mr Hague, accompanied by International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, visited Benghazi to pledge support for the rebels' National Transitional Council, which he called the 'legitimate representative of the Libyan people'.
Ugly 5-1 and Ugly 5-2... Apaches on the attack! Gaddafi's radar HQ is destroyed in first blitz by helicopters from Prince Harry base
By Christopher Leake
5th June 2011
Daily Mail
British pilots have unleashed the awesome firepower of their Apache attack helicopters for the first time to blitz the forces of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.
Two £40million Apache WAH 64Ds obliterated a key radar and communications centre and killed a number of Libyan soldiers who fired at them from the back of a pick-up truck.
The Apaches - call signs 'Ugly 5-1' and 'Ugly 5-2' - lifted off in the early hours of yesterday from the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean, two miles off Libya's eastern port of Brega.
They were each manned by a pilot and co-pilot of 656 Squadron Army Air Corps from Prince Harry's air base at Wattisham in Suffolk.
A Mail on Sunday reporter on board HMS Ocean described how the helicopters - bristling with 16 Hellfire 'fire-and-forget' air-to-ground missiles and an M230 chain gun - flew at different heights at about 160mph to the Libyan coast in order to avoid detection.
Just 25 minutes later, the first white flashes and low rumbles were testimony to the first-ever combat raid at sea by Apaches. The pilots wore state-of-the-art helmets with radar and infra-red installed.
A move of the helmet can even adjust the direction of fire of the chain gun.
The Apaches took less than 90 minutes to destroy the radar installation near the front line between the regime and rebel forces.
Then they fired six laser-guided Hellfire missiles to destroy an anti-aircraft gun attacking them from a military checkpoint.
A brief burst from its electrically operated chain gun, set under the fuselage, destroyed the truck and killed several of Gaddafi's troops.
Ready for battle: Weaponry is loaded (top); and an aircraft handling officer guides an Apache helicopter onto the deck of the HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Libya
The chain gun fires 30-calibre rounds at a rate of 625 per minute with a muzzle velocity of 2,641ft a second and an effective range of 1,640 yards - obliterating all in its path.
All along the coast, flashes lit up the night sky as Nato fixed-wing bombers, including RAF Tornado and Typhoon warplanes, attacked in support of UN Security Council resolution 1973 to protect civilians from Gaddafi's murderous intent.
Mission accomplished after an operation lasting less than two hours and safely back on HMS Ocean, the commander - speaking anonymously - said calmly: 'We're pleased with this mission's success. It's a good feeling to go and do your job, do it professionally, do it accurately and get back in one piece.
The Apache chain gun fires 30-calibre rounds at a rate of 625 per minute with a muzzle velocity of 2,641 ft a second
Helipcoter carrier HMS Ocean
'This aircraft will take you into harm's way and look after you while you are there. It will allow you to do your job at the sharp end and it will bring you home safely.'
A second pilot, who has served in Afghanistan, said: 'We came under a direct threat. We had made sure that we were looking at a definite military target, rather than a civilian one, and we took out the threat.
'Most of our pilots have experience of Afghanistan and, of course, we are facing something completely new in Libya.
'There is always a degree of trepidation but the Apache provides us with great protection and brings us safely back home.
'Launching from the sea is much more difficult, but we have been practising for a long time and tonight everything went according to plan. We know we will be carrying out more missions.'
Captain Andrew Betton, commanding officer of HMS Ocean, said: 'The idea of bringing Apaches into the mix is to increase the pressure on Gaddafi's forces. It will enable us in time, if necessary, to attack a different suite of targets.'
A separate force of French Gazelle and Tiger helicopters were launched from the carrier La Tonnerre, chasing separate targets. The Apaches and French helicopters were ordered into action after a deal last month between David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
In what could be seen as an attempt at one-upmanship, the French claimed last night to have destroyed 15 military vehicles during their part of the attack [the British and the French may be on the same side, for once, in this mission but there's still a rivalry between the two]
The Apache is a potent weapon but the helicopter's low-level raids and slower speed - a maximum of about 200mph - put it at greater risk of being shot down by ground forces than a fast warplane operating at 20,000ft.
One source said: 'Gaddafi may still have shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles but the biggest threat is from small-arms fire. In Libya, AK-47s are commonplace and there are plenty of rocket-propelled grenade-launchers.
Joint operation: In a separate French assault on different targets, a Tiger attack helicopter takes off from helicopter carrier La Tonnerre
'But the Apache is arguably the best protected aircraft in the world. It has the latest air-defence aids, is very robust and we have full confidence in it.'
Prince Harry, who is due to finish his Apache pilot training at Wattisham by the end of the year, is said to have been informed about the mission's success. He has expressed his wish to fly Apaches on the front line.
A military source said: 'Harry is bound to have been told on the Army grapevine and I'm sure he is delighted both Apache crews returned safely.'
Meanwhile, 11 powerful explosions were heard in central Tripoli early last night as Nato aircraft kept up the pressure on Gaddafi. Nato has been bombing targets linked to him since March. It is not known whether the latest raids involved British aircraft.
It emerged today that Libya's oil production has virtually ground to a halt, according to the country's oil minister who has defected to the West.
Shukri Ghanem secretly fled the country a month ago but his defection only emerged when he gave a press conference in Rome.
Libya has the largest oil fields in Africa and the ninth largest in the world, with most of it located in the desert south of Brega which was the scene of bitter fighting between pro Gaddafi forces and rebels.
Production before the bombing campaign was estimated at 1.8 million barrels a day and hundreds of foreign workers - many of them British - were involved in the production.
Mr Ghanem, 68, who served as Libya's prime minister between 2003 and 2006 said: 'None is being exported and if you cannot export then you cannot produce.'
In 2004 he caused controversy in a BBC interview by refusing to accept that Libya was responsible for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the 1984 murder of British WPC Yvonne Fletcher.
William Hague flies into rebel-held Benghazi to give Britain's backing
Surprise visit: William Hague has made a trip to the rebel-held area
Foreign Secretary William Hague has tried to stem growing criticism of the conflict in Libya with a surprise trip to rebel-held territory in the country.
But the visit, just hours after UK Apache helicopters were used over Libya for the first time, was marred by rows over 'mission creep' and rumours Defence Secretary Liam Fox was 'bumped' from the trip.
Mr Hague, accompanied by International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, visited Benghazi to pledge support for the rebels' National Transitional Council, which he called the 'legitimate representative of the Libyan people'.
They also visited a medical centre to meet some of the wounded.
The trip comes amid increasing unease that after more than two months of air sorties, leader Colonel Gaddafi shows little sign of relinquishing his grip on power.
Dr Fox's absence from the trip follows rumours of tensions between the Defence Secretary and the Prime Minister over the conflict.
Labour MP Kevan Jones, a former Defence Minister, said: 'When brave servicemen and women are putting their lives on the line in the country, it seems odd the Defence Secretary should lose his seat on the plane to make way for the International Development Secretary.'
Meanwhile, Labour MP Graham Allen, calling for an end to 'mission creep', demanded a fresh Commons vote on the action.
Last night, a source denied that Dr Fox was snubbed. 'Liam has been involved with planning the visit. He could not go because he was speaking at a security conference in Singapore with other defence secretaries,' he said.
Warfare: Black smoke rises on the horizon as rebel fighters take to the road near the city of Zintan, 75 miles southwest of Tripoli
Libya: Gaddafi's radar HQ destroyed in blitz by helicopters from Prince Harry's base | Mail Online
Two £40million Army Air Corps Apache WAH 64Ds - call signs Ugly 5-1 and Ugly 5-2 - obliterated a key radar and communications centre and killed a number of Libyan soldiers who fired at them from the back of a pick-up truck.
They lifted off from Royal Navy helicopter carrier HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean, two miles off Libya's eastern port of Brega.
They were each manned by a pilot and co-pilot of 656 Squadron Army Air Corps from Prince Harry's air base at Wattisham in Suffolk.
The Apaches bristle with 16 Hellfire 'fire-and-forget' air-to-ground missiles and an M230 chain gun. The chain gun fires 30-calibre rounds at a rate of 625 per minute with a muzzle velocity of 2,641ft a second and an effective range of 1,640 yards - obliterating all in its path.
Captain Andrew Betton, commanding officer of HMS Ocean, said: 'The idea of bringing Apaches into the mix is to increase the pressure on Gaddafi's forces. It will enable us in time, if necessary, to attack a different suite of targets.'
British Foreign Secretary William Hague also visited Libya yesterday. Mr Hague, accompanied by International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, visited Benghazi to pledge support for the rebels' National Transitional Council, which he called the 'legitimate representative of the Libyan people'.
Ugly 5-1 and Ugly 5-2... Apaches on the attack! Gaddafi's radar HQ is destroyed in first blitz by helicopters from Prince Harry base
By Christopher Leake
5th June 2011
Daily Mail
- William Hague makes a surprise visit to Benghazi to pledge support for the rebels
- Libya's oil production has nearly ground to a halt, says defecting minister
British pilots have unleashed the awesome firepower of their Apache attack helicopters for the first time to blitz the forces of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi.
Two £40million Apache WAH 64Ds obliterated a key radar and communications centre and killed a number of Libyan soldiers who fired at them from the back of a pick-up truck.
The Apaches - call signs 'Ugly 5-1' and 'Ugly 5-2' - lifted off in the early hours of yesterday from the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean, two miles off Libya's eastern port of Brega.
They were each manned by a pilot and co-pilot of 656 Squadron Army Air Corps from Prince Harry's air base at Wattisham in Suffolk.
A Mail on Sunday reporter on board HMS Ocean described how the helicopters - bristling with 16 Hellfire 'fire-and-forget' air-to-ground missiles and an M230 chain gun - flew at different heights at about 160mph to the Libyan coast in order to avoid detection.
Just 25 minutes later, the first white flashes and low rumbles were testimony to the first-ever combat raid at sea by Apaches. The pilots wore state-of-the-art helmets with radar and infra-red installed.
A move of the helmet can even adjust the direction of fire of the chain gun.
The Apaches took less than 90 minutes to destroy the radar installation near the front line between the regime and rebel forces.
Then they fired six laser-guided Hellfire missiles to destroy an anti-aircraft gun attacking them from a military checkpoint.
A brief burst from its electrically operated chain gun, set under the fuselage, destroyed the truck and killed several of Gaddafi's troops.
Ready for battle: Weaponry is loaded (top); and an aircraft handling officer guides an Apache helicopter onto the deck of the HMS Ocean in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Libya
The chain gun fires 30-calibre rounds at a rate of 625 per minute with a muzzle velocity of 2,641ft a second and an effective range of 1,640 yards - obliterating all in its path.
All along the coast, flashes lit up the night sky as Nato fixed-wing bombers, including RAF Tornado and Typhoon warplanes, attacked in support of UN Security Council resolution 1973 to protect civilians from Gaddafi's murderous intent.
Mission accomplished after an operation lasting less than two hours and safely back on HMS Ocean, the commander - speaking anonymously - said calmly: 'We're pleased with this mission's success. It's a good feeling to go and do your job, do it professionally, do it accurately and get back in one piece.
The Apache chain gun fires 30-calibre rounds at a rate of 625 per minute with a muzzle velocity of 2,641 ft a second
Helipcoter carrier HMS Ocean
'This aircraft will take you into harm's way and look after you while you are there. It will allow you to do your job at the sharp end and it will bring you home safely.'
A second pilot, who has served in Afghanistan, said: 'We came under a direct threat. We had made sure that we were looking at a definite military target, rather than a civilian one, and we took out the threat.
'Most of our pilots have experience of Afghanistan and, of course, we are facing something completely new in Libya.
'There is always a degree of trepidation but the Apache provides us with great protection and brings us safely back home.
'Launching from the sea is much more difficult, but we have been practising for a long time and tonight everything went according to plan. We know we will be carrying out more missions.'
Captain Andrew Betton, commanding officer of HMS Ocean, said: 'The idea of bringing Apaches into the mix is to increase the pressure on Gaddafi's forces. It will enable us in time, if necessary, to attack a different suite of targets.'
A separate force of French Gazelle and Tiger helicopters were launched from the carrier La Tonnerre, chasing separate targets. The Apaches and French helicopters were ordered into action after a deal last month between David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
In what could be seen as an attempt at one-upmanship, the French claimed last night to have destroyed 15 military vehicles during their part of the attack [the British and the French may be on the same side, for once, in this mission but there's still a rivalry between the two]
The Apache is a potent weapon but the helicopter's low-level raids and slower speed - a maximum of about 200mph - put it at greater risk of being shot down by ground forces than a fast warplane operating at 20,000ft.
One source said: 'Gaddafi may still have shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles but the biggest threat is from small-arms fire. In Libya, AK-47s are commonplace and there are plenty of rocket-propelled grenade-launchers.
Joint operation: In a separate French assault on different targets, a Tiger attack helicopter takes off from helicopter carrier La Tonnerre
'But the Apache is arguably the best protected aircraft in the world. It has the latest air-defence aids, is very robust and we have full confidence in it.'
Prince Harry, who is due to finish his Apache pilot training at Wattisham by the end of the year, is said to have been informed about the mission's success. He has expressed his wish to fly Apaches on the front line.
A military source said: 'Harry is bound to have been told on the Army grapevine and I'm sure he is delighted both Apache crews returned safely.'
Meanwhile, 11 powerful explosions were heard in central Tripoli early last night as Nato aircraft kept up the pressure on Gaddafi. Nato has been bombing targets linked to him since March. It is not known whether the latest raids involved British aircraft.
It emerged today that Libya's oil production has virtually ground to a halt, according to the country's oil minister who has defected to the West.
Shukri Ghanem secretly fled the country a month ago but his defection only emerged when he gave a press conference in Rome.
Libya has the largest oil fields in Africa and the ninth largest in the world, with most of it located in the desert south of Brega which was the scene of bitter fighting between pro Gaddafi forces and rebels.
Production before the bombing campaign was estimated at 1.8 million barrels a day and hundreds of foreign workers - many of them British - were involved in the production.
Mr Ghanem, 68, who served as Libya's prime minister between 2003 and 2006 said: 'None is being exported and if you cannot export then you cannot produce.'
In 2004 he caused controversy in a BBC interview by refusing to accept that Libya was responsible for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and the 1984 murder of British WPC Yvonne Fletcher.
William Hague flies into rebel-held Benghazi to give Britain's backing
Surprise visit: William Hague has made a trip to the rebel-held area
Foreign Secretary William Hague has tried to stem growing criticism of the conflict in Libya with a surprise trip to rebel-held territory in the country.
But the visit, just hours after UK Apache helicopters were used over Libya for the first time, was marred by rows over 'mission creep' and rumours Defence Secretary Liam Fox was 'bumped' from the trip.
Mr Hague, accompanied by International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, visited Benghazi to pledge support for the rebels' National Transitional Council, which he called the 'legitimate representative of the Libyan people'.
They also visited a medical centre to meet some of the wounded.
The trip comes amid increasing unease that after more than two months of air sorties, leader Colonel Gaddafi shows little sign of relinquishing his grip on power.
Dr Fox's absence from the trip follows rumours of tensions between the Defence Secretary and the Prime Minister over the conflict.
Labour MP Kevan Jones, a former Defence Minister, said: 'When brave servicemen and women are putting their lives on the line in the country, it seems odd the Defence Secretary should lose his seat on the plane to make way for the International Development Secretary.'
Meanwhile, Labour MP Graham Allen, calling for an end to 'mission creep', demanded a fresh Commons vote on the action.
Last night, a source denied that Dr Fox was snubbed. 'Liam has been involved with planning the visit. He could not go because he was speaking at a security conference in Singapore with other defence secretaries,' he said.
Warfare: Black smoke rises on the horizon as rebel fighters take to the road near the city of Zintan, 75 miles southwest of Tripoli
Libya: Gaddafi's radar HQ destroyed in blitz by helicopters from Prince Harry's base | Mail Online
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