Warrant Officer Jax Valkyr's AH-64A Apache, affectionately nicknamed 'The Steel Bitch' just as she was herself, chewed up the shimmering desert air at a steady cruising speed of 135 knots. She and her fellow pilots, the lead element of her cavalry regiment, were the first to see action in the new theatre after their hurried transfer from Fort Winter. Though they'd been able to grab their desert kit and flight suits, their birds were still awaiting similar treatment. But there'd be time for that later; elements from the 10th Armoured Division were punching through the hasty defence line thrown up by allied forces and needed to be brought to a halt. The Apache gunship was a tank-killer and such a theatre was where it excelled. Sixteen AGM-114 'Hellfire' anti-tank missiles and 1200 rounds of 30mm armour-piercing ammunition fired from its chaingun gave it a fearsome bite that had lead many a tank crew's blood to run cold at the sight or sound of approaching apaches - if they did see them at all.

But whether it was night or day, apache pilots always saw them. And this day was no exception.

The tell-tale plumes of dust ahead of her on the horizon were a visual clue that only confirmed what her radar-linked eyepiece was telling her. Jax grinned tightly as she adjusted her collective, dipped the nose of the apache and throttled forward, ever-eager for she and her gunner to score the first kill.

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Ahhh, with the completion of this piece, the first of two parts, from tales_foxdale, who fast became one of my most regular artists to commission, I completed the trio of my absolute favourite pieces of military aircraft. The first two being the F-14 Tomcat, and the A-10 Thunderbolt. But this beauty has a special place in my heart. I've loved the AH-64 Apache dearly for as long as I've been keenly interested in aviation, and it was a classic Microprose flight sim, Gunship, that got me into playing flight sims too at a very young age and helped kindle my love of military aviation. So yeah, putting my battlesharksona Jax Valkyr into the Pilot-In-Command seat for this piece was a no-brainer. Tales did his usual sterling job in bringing this scene to life and detailing it so very nicely, so I'm very grateful.

Jax Valkyr and fluff text © Myself

Artwork ©