He was desperate to get stuck into his second deployment to the warzone after his naked photos shame was beamed round the world
Prince Harry has put his life on the line by hitting Taliban targets in his Apache gunship helicopter in Afghanistan, it was revealed yesterday.
Harry, 28, has been on “multiple engagements” over the past month while stationed at Camp Bastion, the main British and American troop base in Helmand.
He was desperate to get stuck into his second deployment to the warzone after his naked photos shame was beamed round the world.
A military source said: “He is genuinely risking his life.”
As one of two Apache crew, the Co-pilot Gunner – who sits at the front – commands the mission, fires its Hellfire missiles, navigates and sometimes steers.
It is Harry’s first operational mission using the gunship and will last four months.
The tour follows the most intensive military flying training in the world including months of advanced weapons training in California and Arizona.
Harry is attached to 662 Squadron 3 Regiment Army Air Corps and while he is deployed is part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, one of the UK’s spearhead combat units.
His Apache gunship – nicknamed the flying tank – has been used by UK forces to fight the Taliban, gather intelligence and provide support for ground troops.
The main weapons on the gunship are a 30mm cannon firing 625 rounds a minute, Hellfire anti-tank rockets and four air-to-air missiles.
It is so sophisticated it can detect, classify and prioritise up to 256 potential targets in seconds.
Afghan insurgents have dubbed it the “mosquito” because of its insect-like appearance.
The Apache has saved countless British and American troops.
There are so many British and American missions using the gunship in Afghanistan there is no way the Taliban will be able to know when Harry is at the controls with his co-pilot.
Insurgents have never managed to shoot down an Apache in the 10 years allied troops have been fighting there.
Before doing his intensive 16-month Apache training, Harry was a second lieutenant in the Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry Regiment as a tank commander.
His return to Helmand is the first since his first tour was cut short in 2008 after his presence was leaked.
He became the first member of the Royal Family to serve in a warzone since Prince Andrew flew as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands conflict in 1982.
Earlier this year Harry said it would be pointless to do the costly helicopter training if he never went into combat.
He said: “You become a very expensive asset, the training’s very expensive and they wouldn’t have me doing what I’m doing.
“I’d just be taking up a spare place for somebody else if they didn’t have me going out on the job.”
He added that he would love to return to Afghanistan with “his brothers in arms”.
Prince Harry passed a rigorous helicopter training course with flying colours in February – claiming one of two best young airman awards in qualifying.
Part of the course included two months of advanced weapons training in California and Arizona, where the desert conditions replicate those found in Afghanistan.
A military source said he amazed his instructors with his “natural and instinctive” flying talent.