Heli Pilot Wins Afghanistan Bravery Award

An Army officer is to receive the Air Force Cross for his 'selflessness and extraordinary professionalism' in piloting his Apache helicopter in dangerous situations to assist casualty rescue missions in Afghanistan.

Captain Steven Jones, aged 32, an Apache pilot with the Army Air Corps, was flying his helicopter back to base after a day providing protective air cover for ground troops in Afghanistan in December 2010 when he heard a radio call for assistance.

An infantry patrol had been caught in a bomb blast, which had killed one soldier and seriously wounded several others. The explosion's blast had also disabled the soldiers' radios - except the one that communicates with aircraft.

Only helicopters in the air on the right frequency would have been able to hear the soldiers' transmissions. To be of assistance to the wounded soldiers, Captain Jones needed to keep his Apache in the air and relay their messages for urgent help.

Captain Jones' helicopter was dangerously low on fuel - the reason why he was returning to base. But, he said, the decision was an easy one to make:

Captain Jones, on his third deployment to Afghanistan, kept the Apache in the air, and was thus able to keep in touch with the soldiers on the ground until an emergency response helicopter could reach the injured personnel and another helicopter could be raised to take over his watch.

When he eventually landed his helicopter, the fuel gauge was registering the lowest the Apache craft had ever run on, dangerously below the safe levels for flight.

Captain Jones' citation reads: "This single act enabled a swift response to a situation that would otherwise have been delayed, demonstrating his selfless dedication to the support of ground forces."

(BMcC/CD)