British Army attack helicopter crews are conducting live-fire and tactical manoeuvres alongside NATO allies in northern Europe as part of Operation Razoredge, the UK’s major summer deployment across the continent.
In a post on Wednesday, 3 Regiment Army Air Corps shared images of AH-64E Apache helicopters training in Europe, writing:
“Low. Fast. Lethal. We’ve been on exercises across Europe, as part of Op Razoredge fighting alongside our NATO allies and partners. This isn’t for show. It’s combat training at the sharp end. Target acquisition. Weapons live. No room for error.”
Low. Fast. Lethal 🔥
We’ve been on exercises across Europe, as part of Op #razoredge fighting alongside our NATO allies and partners 🤝
This isn’t for show. It’s combat training at the sharp end.
Target acquisition 🎯
Weapons live 💥
No room for error 💪#attack #wearenato pic.twitter.com/z1KQCKiOJb— 3 Regiment Army Air Corps (@3RegimentAAC) June 26, 2025
Operation Razoredge, now in full swing, is the British contribution to a series of NATO-linked exercises taking place in six countries over the summer. According to the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), it involves around 6,000 British personnel across the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, including elements from 1 Combat Aviation Brigade and 4 Light Brigade.
British Apache and Wildcat helicopters arrived in Finland earlier this spring, training with the Finnish Defence Forces as part of their national exercises. According to Finnish officials, two squadrons of Apache attack helicopters and one squadron of Wildcat reconnaissance helicopters “successfully concentrated” at Säkylä, where they are now operating alongside Finnish NH90 and MD500 helicopters.
The Finnish military said the deployment enables “new types of exercises,” especially for conscripts. The helicopters are capable of independent operations and are conducting flights both within and beyond designated military training areas.
Support is being provided by several Finnish formations, including the Pori Brigade and Utti Jaeger Regiment. A total of more than 20,000 troops are expected to take part in exercises in Finland this spring.
The British Army confirmed the deployment via social media in April, stating: “We’ve arrived. It’s great to be back in Finland to work with @Maavoimat as part of Op Razoredge.”
Other British elements deployed across Europe include troops from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and Royal Regiment of Scotland in Estonia, artillery units from 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery in Finland, and reconnaissance troops from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Lithuania. RAF Chinooks are also supporting the deployment.
OT, Italy classifying an 11 Billion bridge as defence spending!
Glad it isn’t just our own government fudging the 1.5%.
Eyup Daniele
Oryx reports 156 Russian helicopters lost in Ukraine so far – of which destroyed: 122, damaged: 32, captured: 2
So just how relevant are British attack helicopters in a theatre dominated by Manpads and drones?
I believe you can fit the Apache cannon onto a Boxer, just saying
Sunak organised a German firm to fit a digital 155mm fire-on-the-move artillery piece on a Boxer chassis just before the country sacked him
Hello mate.
I’ve seen that question asked.
I don’t know. But the experts will.
A suicide Drone aimed at one is a scary thought if it cannot defend itself. But it could, if it has the sensor?
It has the cannon. More than just about any other army asset.
I think it’s worth adding some context to those numbers:
First of all the list of destroyed helicopters Oryx uses includes Helicopters on the ground. For example of that 122 destroyed, 50 where KA-52’s, and of those 10 where destroyed on the ground (mostly IIRC by GMLRs and ATACMs). It’s also interesting that nearly half the Helicopters destroyed of the Russian Army are KA-52’s, with the next biggest loss category being the Mi-8 transport Helicopter, which gets even more interesting when you compare it to Ukraine’s losses. Ukraine has lost 45 Helicopters in total, with the Mi-8 being the biggest loss category by far (28 destroyed), and Ukraine’s attack Helicopter, the Mi-24 Hind, is the second highest loss rate, with 5 being destroyed.
Just for comparison Ukraine started the war with about 50 Mi-24s, and Russia started the war with about 133 KA-52’s. So about 37-48% of the KA-52 fleet is gone (depending on how reparable the damaged ones are). While Ukraine has lost 10-14% of it’s attack Helicopters. (Obviously standard comments about Oryx being a floor apply). So what are the take aways? Are attack Helicopters actually that vulnerable? 10% losses over 3+ years isn’t that astounding. Is there something about how Ukraine is using it’s Mi-24’s? (FWIW I think the KA-52’s have had a much bigger impact on the fighting, Russia willing to loose them to get better effect). Or is Ukraine actively hunting KA-52’s? (Certainly after the Zaphorizia offensive they seemed public enemy number 1, and some of the first ATACMs attacks seemed to target them). Not answer’s well get from OS sources I think but worth thinking about.
I’ll also point out fast air visually confirmed losses for the Russians amount to 111 destroyed (to the Ukranian 93 confirmed losses, although those seem more weighted towards being on the ground and in 2022). So the difference between fast air and rotary is not as big as you might assume, I’d speculate there’s a lot to be said about two armies that historically have some fairly week air arms and very heavily invest in GBAD forces going up against each other.
I believe you can fit the Apache cannon onto a Boxer, just saying.