Apache

  CO: Commanding Officer – Lieutenant Colonel in charge of a regiment, battalion or the JHF

  Coalition: National Military Forces working together as one force

  Collective Lever: The flying control to the left-hand side of the pilot’s seat; held in the left hand; when raised the Apache climbs and when lowered it descends

  Combat Gas: Fuel that can be used at the target – this does not include transit fuel

  Co-op: Co-operative rocket shoot – both of the Apaches’ crew working together to fire the rockets at the target

  Cow: Taliban slang for the Chinook helicopter

  CPG: Co-pilot Gunner – Front seat pilot in the Apache, known as ‘The Gunner’

  Crow: Derogatory military slang for a very junior paratrooper

  CRKT: CPG (Apache Gunner) has actioned the rocket system – CPG’s Rockets

  CRV7: Canadian Rocket Vehicle 7 – the Apache’s rockets

  Crypto: Cryptographic – Encoded information

  Cyclic Stick: The flying control between the pilot’s legs, held by the right hand and used to speed up, slow down, dive and turn the Apache

  Danger Close: The proximity to a weapon’s effect that is considered the last safe point when wearing body armour and combat helmets

  Dasht-e-Margo: Desert of Death

  DC: District Centre – the commercial/political/military centre of a particular area. Usually a building that once held power

  Deep Raid: Striking the enemy deep within their own held territory without taking ground

  Delta Hotel: Phonetic Alphabet for DH – air speak for Direct Hit – call made when a weapon system hits its intended target accurately

  Desert Hawk: Small British UAV

  DFC: Distinguished Flying Cross – awarded in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy in the air

  DGSE: Direction Générale de la Sécurité – General Directorate for External Security – French Intelligence Agency

  Dishdash: Loose kaftan-style outfit worn by many Afghan men

  Doorman: Callsign for the British casevac Chinook

  DPM: Disruptive Pattern Material – camouflaged print used on clothing and equipment

  DTV: Day Television Camera – black and white TV image generated from the day camera in the TADS

  DU: Depleted Uranium – kinetic bullets used by the A10

  Dushka: Nickname of the DShK – Soviet built Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun – 12.7 mm (.50 cal)

  Engine Power Levers: The throttles used for starting the Apache’s engines

  ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival

  EWO: Electronic Warfare Officer

  F18: US Navy strike warplane called the Hornet – very similar cockpit to the Apache but less busy

  Fast Air: Offensive military jet aircraft

  FCR: Fire Control Radar – the Apache’s Longbow Radar

  Firebase: Friendly Forces firing position used to cover an assault

  Flanking: From the side

  Flares: Hot flares fired to attract heat-seeking missiles, luring them away from the Apache

  Flechette: Eighty-five-inch tungsten darts fired from a rocket travelling above Mach 2

  FLIR: Forward Looking Infrared. Sights that generate a thermal picture – an image produced by an object’s heat source

  Fly-by-wire: Flying the helicopter using sensors from the controls like a PlayStation control works. A Back Up flight Control System (BUCS) used when control runs are shot through

  FM Radio: A Frequency Modulated secure radio in the Apache

  Force 84: British Special Forces operating in Afghanistan

  Formate: Aviation term for formation flying

  Frag: Fragments of hot metal that break away from a shell when it explodes

  Fragged: As published in the orders

  Frago: Fragmented Orders – extracted part of a full set of orders

  Fuselage: Main body of an aircraft

  GAFA: Great Afghan Fuck All – Dasht-e-Margo – the Desert of Death

  GAU8: Gatling gun fitted to an A10 ground attack aircraft

  GBU: Guided Bomb Unit – smart bombs

  GCHQ: British Government Communications Headquarters – Intelligence andSecurity Organisation

  GPMG: British Forces General Purpose Machine Gun – 7.62 mm bipod machine gun

  GPS: Global Positioning System – satellite navigation equipment

  GR7: Harrier GR7 – Royal Air Force warplane capable of Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL)

  Green Zone: Lush habitation of irrigated fields, hedgerows, trees and small woods on either side of the Helmand River, bordered by arid deserts

  Groundcrew: People who work with aircraft when they are on the ground, not technicians

  Ground school: Academic lessons on flying and all to do with flying; met, law, engines, etc.

  Gunship: An aircraft that has the capability of firing its cannon/s from the side instead of having to strafe head-on

  Gun tape: The video tape put into an Apache that records what the selected sight sees

  Harrier: See GR7

  H Hour: The moment offensive action begins – first bullet, bomb or the moment troops walk towards their intended target to attack

  HEDP: High Explosive Dual Purpose – 30 mm cannon rounds

  Height: The height above the ground

  HEISAP: High Explosive Incendiary Semi-Armour Piercing – kinetic rocket fired by the Apache

  Hellfire: AGM-114K SAL (Semi-Active Laser) Hellfire II is a laser-guided Hellfire missile fitted to the Apache and Predator

  Hercules: See C130

  Hesco Bastion: Square metal meshed cubes lined with Hessian and filled with rubble and/or sand. Used as defensive ramparts to protect bases and platoon houses from fire

  HIDAS: Helicopter Integrated Defensive Aid System – protection from SAMs

  HIG: Hezb-I Islami Gulbuddin – major group of the old Mujahideen with ties to Osama bin Laden referred to in this book as Taliban

  HLS: Helicopter Landing Site

  Hot: Air speak for clearance or acknowledgment that live bombs can be dropped

  HQ: Headquarters – The nerve centre for planning and execution of operations

  HRF: Helmand Reaction Force – 2 Apaches and a Chinook full of soldiers on standby at Bastion used to bolster any troops on the ground quickly

  HumInt: Human Intelligence – intelligence provided by human sources; spies, snitches, etc.

  I Bar: See Steering Cursor

  ID: Identification

  IED: Improvised Explosive Device – homemade bombs or multiple mines strapped together

  IRA: Irish Republican Army – Northern Irish Para-military group

  IRT: Incident Response Team – Apaches, Chinooks, doctors, medics and ATO responsible for the immediate recovery of personnel in danger or injured

  ISAF: International Security Assistance Force – multi-national military force in Afghanistan

  ISI: Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence – Pakistan’s Intelligence Agency

  ISTAR: Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance

  IX Battlegroup: The Information Exploitation Battlegroup – Magowan’s troops

  JDAM: Joint Direct Attack Munition – Inertial Navigation and GPS guidance system bolted onto a 500 to 2000lb bomb to make it an accurate all-weather weapon

  Joint Helicopter Command: The UK-based command headquarters and operating authority for all British military helicopters in the UK and abroad

  JHF: JHF (A) – Joint Helicopter Force in Afghanistan – ‘Main’ at Kandahar and ‘Forward’ at Camp Bastion – the Afghanistan helicopter headquarters operating under authority for the JHC

  JOC: Joint Operations Cell – the functioning control centre of operations in the Helmand province

  JTAC: Joint Terminal Attack Controller – soldier responsible to his commander for the deliverance of air ordnance from combat aircraft onto a target. The airspace controller above a battle, normally
callsigns Widow or Knight Rider

  Klicks: Military slang for kilometres

  KIA: Killed in action

  Knight Rider: Callsign for the BRF JTAC’s

  Lance Bombardier: Artillery Rank – the second rung on the ladder after private/marine

  LCpl: Lance Corporal – rank – the second rung on the ladder after private/marine

  Leakers: Taliban that are attempting to escape (leak) from a target area

  Lima Charlie: Phonetic alphabet for LC – air speak for Loud and Clear

  Loadie: Loadmaster responsible for passengers and equipment in military troop-carrying helicopters or transport aircraft

  Longbow: The Longbow Radar is the Apache’s Fire Control Radar. It looks like a large Swiss cheese and sits on top of the main rotor system

  LS: Landing Site

  LSJ: Life Support Jacket – survival waistcoat

  Lynx: British Army Light Battlefield Helicopter – used for movement of small teams

  M230: The cannon on the underside of the Apache; 30mm chain fed

  ManPADS: Man Portable Aid Defence System – shoulder-launched heat-seeking missile

  MC: Military Cross – awarded in recognition of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy on land.

  MI6: Military Intelligence Section 6 – nickname for the British Government’s Secret Intelligence Service

  MIA: Missing in action

  MiD: Mentioned in Despatches – award for gallantry or otherwise commendable service

  MIRC: Military Internet Relay Chat

  MoD: Ministry of Defence

  Monocle: The pink see-through glass mirror over an Apache pilot’s right eye that displays green symbology and images from the onboard computers and sights

  Mosquito: Taliban slang for the Apache

  MPD: Multi-Purpose Display – 5-inch screen on the console in the Apache

  MSR: Main Supply Route – route for equipment and personnel

  Mujahideen: Afghan opposition groups – fought the Soviets during the Soviet invasion and each other in the Afghan Civil War – plural for the word mujahid meaning ‘struggler’

  NAAFI: Navy, Army and Air Forces Institute – a British military shop and café

  NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – multi-national military force

  Negative: Air speak for No

  Nimrod MR2: Royal Air Force large-bodied jet that is used as a spy plane

  NSA: National Security Agency – US Government’s communications intelligence (same as GCHQ)

  NVG: Night Vision Goggles – night sights that magnify light by 40,000 times

  OC: Officer Commanding – Major in charge of a Squadron or Company group

  Ops: Operations – as in Ops tent, Ops room, Ops Officer or literally an operation

  ORT: Optical Relay Tube – the large console in the front seat with PlayStation type grips on either side

  P Company: Gruelling fitness tests used by the Parachute Regiment to test suitable candidates for parachute training and airborne forces

  Para: Nickname for a soldier from the Parachute Regiment or the Regiment itself

  Paveway: Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) – the laser guidance system bolted onto 500–2000 lb bombs

  Pepper-Potting: One patrol goes firm. The other passes it and goes firm. Then the original patrol passes and goes firm. On and on – one foot on the ground at all times advancing forward or backwards

  Pinzgauer: Small 4x4 All Terrain Utility Truck

  Piss Boy: The loser of a game who has to make the tea and coffee

  PJHQ: Permanent Joint Headquarters – located at Northwood; Commands overseas joint and combined military operations and provides military advice to the Ministry of Defence.

  PK: Soviet designed General Purpose Machine Gun – 7.62mm bipod machine gun

  PNVS: Pilot’s Night Vision System – the thermal camera that sits above the TADS on the Apache’s nose

  Pongo: Derogatory slang used by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force for Army soldiers

  Port: Left-hand side of an aircraft or vessel

  Predator: Large US UAV that contains sophisticated sights and radios similar to those on the Apache. It can be armed with Hellfire

  PX: Post Exchange – huge US Military shop that sells almost anything

  QHI: Qualified Helicopter Instructor – flying instructor

  R and R: Rest and Recuperation – break from combat

  RAF: Royal Air Force

  Rearm: Reload the Apache with ammunition

  REME: Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

  RIP: Relief in Place – Apache Flights handing over the battle between each other maintaining support to the ground troops

  RM: Royal Marine/s

  RMP: Royal Military Police – British Military Police

  ROE: Rules of Engagement – law set by a country’s Government laying down the rules as to which arms may be brought to bear

  Rocco: Rocco Siffredi – Italian actor, director and producer of pornographic movies

  RPG: Soviet-designed Rocket Propelled Grenade – shoulder-launched rocket with a powerful grenade warhead on the front

  RSM: Regimental Sergeant Major – WO1 and the senior soldier in a Regiment

  RTB: Return To Base

  RTA: Road Traffic Accident

  RTS: Release to Service – the document that details what can and can’t be done with the Apache regarding flight, firing, etc.

  RV: Rendezvous – designated meeting place

  SA7/14: Soviet-designed Surface to Air Missiles – ManPADS

  SA80: British Forces Rifle – 5.56mm automatic

  SAM: Surface to Air Missile

  Sappers: Military engineers – slang for the Royal Engineers

  SAS: Special Air Service – an independent British Special Forces Unit of the British Army

  Sausage Side: A term for enemy territory dating back to the World Wars. The sausage loving Germans’ side of the battlefield

  SBS: Special Boat Service – an independent British Special Forces Unit of the Royal Navy’s Royal Marines

  Scimitar: British Army Armoured Recce Vehicle

  SERE: Survive, Evade, Resist and Extract

  SF: Special Forces – e.g. SAS and SBS

  SIB: Special Investigation Branch – detectives of the RMP

  SigInt: Signal Intelligence – intelligence gained from radio, telephone, texts and email intercepts

  Small Arms: Infantry light weapons – pistols, rifles and machine guns – weapons capable of being fired by a foot soldier on the move

  Snatch: Lightly armoured military Land Rover

  Spoof: Game played with coins to decide who has to do a task

  Spooks: Nickname for spies

  SRR: Special Reconnaissance Regiment – an independent British Special Forces Unit of the British Army, specialising in close target reconnaissance

  Stack: Fast Air that is queued up and held before being passed on to whoever is in need of its offensive capability

  Standby Standby: Warning call to watch out for something

  Starboard: Right-hand side of an aircraft or vessel

  Steering Cursor: The rocket symbol used to line up the Apache so the rockets land on the target, also known as the ‘I’ Bar

  Stingers: US-designed Surface to Air ManPADs (Man Portable Air Defence system) missile. Taliban slang for any shoulder-launched surface to air missile

  Sunray: Callsign for a commander

  SUSAT: Sight Unit Small Arms, Trilux – the 4-times magnification day/night sight that sits on top of an SA80 rifle or SA80 carbine

  Symbology: Flying and targeting information beamed onto the monocle

  T1: Triage Casualty Code 1 – needs to be in an operating theatre within an hour to save life

  T2: Triage Casualty Code 2 – needs to be in an operating theatre quickly before they become T1

  T3: Triage Casualty Code 3 – injured and needs medical help

  T4: Triage Casualty Code 4 – dead


  TADS: Target Acquisition and Designation Sight system – the ‘bucket’ on the nose of the Apache that houses the Apache’s cameras

  Taliban: Collective term used in this book for Taliban, Al Qaeda and Hezb-I Islami Gulbuddin (HIG)

  Theatre: Country or area in which troops are conducting operations

  Thermobaric: Enhanced blast Hellfire – thermobaric means heat and pressure

  Topman: Callsign for the British Harrier

  Tornado: Royal Air Force multi-role strike warplane

  TOC: Tactical Operations Cell

  TOT: Time On Target – the time until an aircraft is due over or weapon is due at the target

  TOW: Tube-launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided anti-tank missile – fired from the British Army Lynx helicopter

  TPF: Tactical Planning Facility – mobile planning room

  TPM: Terrain Profile Mode – the Longbow’s terrain mapping mode

  Tracer: Bullets that burn with a red, orange or green glow from 110m to 1100m so they can be seen

  Tusk: Callsign for the A10 Thunderbolt aircraft

  UAV: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

  UFD: Up Front Display – an LED instrument that displays critical information to the Apache crews

  Ugly: The callsign chosen by 656 Sqn for the British Apaches – ‘Ugly Five Zero to Ugly Five Seven’

  USAF: United States Air Force

  Viking: Armoured amphibious tracked vehicle

  VIP: Very Important Person

  VU Radio: A VHF and UHF capable secure radio in the Apache

  Widow: Callsign for normal JTACs in Afghanistan

  Wingman: The other aircraft in any pair of aircraft

  Wizard: Callsign for the Nimrod MR2

  WMIK: Weapons Mounted Installation Kit – an odd-looking Land Rover with bars all over it to which weapons can be attached

  WO1: A soldier who holds a Royal Warrant is known as Warrant Officer – a WO1; Class one is the highest non-commissioned rank in the British Army

  Wombat: Weapon Of Magnesium Battalion Anti-Tank – a huge wheeled or mounted rifle barrel

  Zulu Company: A company of marines detached from 45 Commando to the Information Exploitation (IX) Battlegroup for this tour of Afghanistan

  ZPU: Soviet Anti-Aircraft Gun – 14.5mm – ZPU 1 is single-barrelled, ZPU 2 has twin barrels and the ZPU 4 has quadruple barrels

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thank you, Emily, my soul mate, for the love and the freedom to catch my dream and for supporting me in my choice. Thank you also for finding and for pushing me in the direction of my friend and agent Mark Lucas.