Apache over Libya / Will Laidlaw

Will Laidlaw is a son of the Scottish Borders. Educated in Scotland. He was commissioned the Army Air Corps in the late 1990s and has amassed 1800 hours flying a range of helicopters including the Apache. His work has taken all round the globe and he has flown on active service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

In May 2011 after a Mediterranean exercise to prove the Apaches ability to work ship-borne, HMS Ocean and her embarked Apache attack helicopters from 656 Squadron, Army Air Corps were about to head home. But the civil war in Libya and the NATO air campaign intervened. A few days later the Author and his fellow Apache pilots and crewmen were in action at night over hostile territory. In range to Gaddafis capable air and land forces once in sight of the coast, they had to fight their way into Libya, complete their mission, evading lethal ground fire, before the hazardous return to Ocean. Depite Libyas state-of-the-art arsenal of ground-to-air weapons, the Apaches made nightly raids at ultra low-level behind enemy lines. Apache Over Libya describes the experiences of eight Army and two Royal Navy pilots who played a significant role in the NATO led campaign.