British Army’s Apache helicopter final flight to Wattisham

The aircraft, returning from a final exercise in Norway, took part in a farewell tour over key locations in its history including the Ministry of Defence main building in central London and the Army Air Corps headquarters at Middle Wallop, before making a final landing at Wattisham Flying Station near Ipswich.

The Mk. 1 helicopter first came into service in 2001 and was used in Afghanistan and Libya by army units based in Suffolk.

British astronaut Tim Peake paid tribute to the Apache in post on X.

He said: “Today the British Army said goodbye to the Apache AH Mk1 after 23 years of service. A real workhorse and a fantastic aircraft to fly.

Tim Peake paid tribute to the Apache (Image: PA)

“I’m proud to have been one of the original team of instructors and ground crew that formed Air Manoeuvre Training Advisory Team to bring the AH1 into service with the regular Army.”

The Mk. 1 aircraft are being replaced by Apache AH-64E helicopters, which have improved flying performance and new sensors and communications systems.

The first corps made the transition over to the new model in 2022, with 656 Squadron, 4 Regiment Army Air Corps, making the final flight on the old aircraft.

Suffolk born-and-raised Henry Anderson, who was a Major in the British Army, said: “The Apache is the best attack helicopter in the world. It’s got quite a specific role, no passengers or anything. It’s all about the weapons on board.”

Many of the Army Air Corps’ decommissioned Mk. 1s have been sent to Boeing to be rebuilt as AH-64Es, but the Army Aviation Centre in Middle Wallop will retain four airframes for training purposes.