APACHE Gunships Are Go – Embarked on the Helicopter Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS on the current COUGAR 12 deployment to the Mediterranean launched two of the 656 Squadron Army Air Corps APACHE Gunships to fire live HELLFIRE missiles on the ranges off Gibraltar.    Seven tank busting missiles were successfully fired by the APACHE as the "carrier" headed “west” bound for Portsmouth having completed the vessels COUGAR 12 deployment.

The pairing of ILLUSTRIOUS and 656 Squadron carried out the first live HELLFIRE firings in UK waters in the Spring (2012) and each APACHE Gunship can carry up to 16 HELLFIRE missiles mounted in sets of four on pylons beneath the Helicopter’s stubby wings.     The missile leaves its launch rail and accelerates to a speed of Mach 1.3 (950 mph) which means it takes fewer than 20 seconds to reach a target at its maximum range of five miles.