Prince Harry speaks for first time as 20-week army tour ends
PRINCE Harry today confirmed that he had killed Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan - using the phrase “take a life to save a life.”
Apache helicopter ace Harry, 28, safely flew out of the warzone tonight following a gruelling 20-week tour of duty.
The third-in-line to the throne despatched a host of insurgents from his £45million attack chopper loaded with an arsenal of Hellfire missiles, rockets and a 30mm chain gun.
Plain-speaking Harry said: “Take a life to save a life. That’s what we revolve around I suppose.
“If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game, I suppose.”
He added: “Lots of people have. The squadron’s been out here. Everyone’s fired a certain amount.”
The Sun exclusively revealed over Christmas how Harry had registered his first successful strike on the enemy in Helmand province - sparking headlines across the globe.
Harry - callsign Ugly during the tour - deployed with 662 Squadron, dubbed "Royal" Squadron by pals, of 3 Regiment Army Air Corps.
For four weeks the 130-strong unit has been working tirelessly to tackle the terror threat and provide safe passage to US and UK choppers sent in to rescue wounded troops.
Co-pilot gunner Harry - crowned Top Gun during training - endured four-hour missions over unforgiving terrain in his 200mph Apache.
He said: “The aircraft itself is amazing.
“It's a fantastic aircraft to fly. The endurance is quite remarkable with the amount of fuel that we can take.
“We can be on station for three-and-a-half hours up to four hours if we want, which isn't great for the bladder, but it still works.”
As the co-pilot gunner Harry sat in the front of two seats with his finger on the trigger of a deadly armoury.
He used a targeting monocle - with one eye focused on the enemy - while the other focused on an array of display monitors.
But despite the rigours the Royal said he found flying “easier than walking.”
He added: “With the guns, missiles and rockets we effectively can achieve anything that the guys on the ground want.
“All the guys will always say, the sole reason for us being out here is for the protection of the guys out here.”
The former tank commander - who served ten weeks on the frontline as a Forward Air Controller in 2007-8 - gave a stunning insight to his tour.
He said: “It's pretty noisy. It's better than driving around in a tank, as far as I can tell.
“When you fire, you still get the cordite smell, which is bizarre.
“The whole floor vibrates and when you fire a missile the whole aircraft shudders a little bit.
“It's not like any normal helicopter, as you can imagine.”
