Prince Harry trained to be Apache helicopter pilot (VIDEO)
EL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA – In this handout image provided by the Ministry of Defense, EX Crimson Eagle Capt Wales, Prince Harry prepares his Apache to go out on a mission on October 25, 2011 in El Centro, California. (Photo by Sgt Russ Nolan RLC/MoD via Getty Images)
Prince Harry passed his Apache helicopter pilot training with flying colors, according to Reuters.
The British Ministry of Defense said Thursday that Prince Harry won a prize for “best co-pilot gunner” out of the graduating pool of more than 20 Apache attack helicopter pilots. "The award handed to Captain Wales consists of a polished 30 mm round from an Apache cannon mounted on a stand," the ministry said in a statement, referring to the prince by his nickname.
The BBC noted the prince had expressed a wish to return to Afghanistan, where his first tour of duty was cut short four years ago after his deployment was revealed and followed by fears that he would become a Taliban target. There is no official word yet on his placement.
Last April, Prince Harry said, “I'd just be taking up a spare place for somebody else if they didn't have me going out on the job.”
As part of his 18 month training, Prince Harry spent two months in the US, learning to handle the Apache in mountain and desert terrains, as well as during live firing, according to Reuters.
The Telegraph said, “Apache's chief function is to take out heavily armoured ground targets, such as tanks and bunkers,” and it deploys Hellfire missiles and Hydra rocket launchers.
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His brother, Prince William, is currently on a six-week placement as a Royal Air Force search-and-rescue in the disputed Falkland Islands. His presence has exacerbated the tensions between the United Kingdom and Argentina, which lays claim to the islands which the two countries fought a war over in 1982.
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The Ministry of Defense released footage of Prince Harry during his Apache training, posted by The Telegraph:
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