Welshpool preparing for war?

They are feared the world over for their ability to slip in under the radar to inflict devastation on the enemy, but there was no way this £25 million killing machine was going to go unnoticed in Welshpool!

The Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, based at RAF Valley on Anglesey, landed at the town’s airport for emergency repairs on Friday after it had been forced to make another emergency landing the previous day during exercises near Trawsfynydd.

It had been patched up overnight and took off again, but it is thought that more problems were reported mid-flight, forcing it to land on our doorstep.

With a popular café now open alongside the runway it didn’t take long for pictures to start appearing on social media and local amateur photographer, Ian Francis, was close by to take these images.

“I call in to the airport as I’m an amateur photographer,” he said. “It’s always worth the stop off as you never know what you might find!

“The Fuel Stop Cafe has a great viewing area and it’s on my way home.”

Twitter users reported that the crew were all friendly and even gave them an introduction to the helicopter and its capabilities.

Apache helicopters are designed to hunt and destroy tanks and can operate in all weathers at any time of the day.

They have the capability to classify up to 256 potential targets in a matter of seconds.

It carries a mix of weapons including rockets, Hellfire missiles and a chain gun as well as a defensive aid suite.