IT was like a scene from the film Apocalypse Now as the formation of evil-looking helicopters chopped their way across the sunny North Yorkshire countryside a few hundred feet up. The only thing missing was the music from Ride of the Valkyries.

This was the day when the Army showed off some newly-acquired pieces of kit which, senior officers promised, would hit the enemy as never before where it really hurt, in his armour.

By October this year, the former RAF base at Dishforth will be home to the first operational squadron of the Army Air Corps to use the AH1 Apache, claimed to be the world's most formidable attack helicopter.

It may lack the colourful costume of its native American namesake, but the drab green Apache can perform a convincing aerial war dance and in two Gulf conflicts it has acquired a reputation that is truly bloodcurdling.

Under its belly hangs a fearsome swivelling cannon bigger and more powerful than the one in a Tornado fighter at nearby RAF Leeming.

Pylons on its stubby little winglets accommodate a destructive combination of rockets and Hellfire anti-tank missiles said to be capable of defeating any known armour.

In a prominent dome above the main rotor is a radar set known as Longbow, which can detect just over 1,000 targets, display 256 and offer 16 as priorities in quick engagements.

Peering out from the nose are an infra-red target sensor package, capable of reading a number plate at six miles, and the pilot's night vision system, which works by clipping a special optic to the helmet and means that the Apache can effectively be flown with only one eye in the dark.

The crew of two sit one behind the other in a cockpit with fully digital instruments and armour-plated glazing, knowing that the rotor blades which keep the Apache airborne are made from a material designed to withstand all but the most extreme effects of enemy firepower.

And should the worst come to the worst, a crew with that sinking feeling get some reassurance from the knowledge that the Apache has in-built crash-resistant features designed to protect them.

The first operational Apache unit will be 656 Squadron of 9 Regiment Army Air Corps with eight of the machines at Dishforth. The regiment will eventually have 16 Apaches in two squadrons on the base, alongside one squadron of eight light utility helicopters designed for the battlefield.

The American design of the twin-engined Apache dates back 30 years and the US Army got the earliest examples in 1983. The AH1 for the British Army, however, is based on the later and more advanced Apache Longbow, which entered US service in 1998.

In this country, Agusta Westland, the main contractor, is building 67 Apaches for the Army Air Corps to specific UK requirements, which include the use of Rolls-Royce engines and the installation of bespoke communications equipment and defensive aids.

The basic cost of each Apache was £25m but so many features have been added, and will continue to be in a rolling programme, that this figure has been bumped up by several more millions. Each machine is going to have to last for up to 30 years.

At Dishforth, both air and ground crews are being trained on the Apache, which will replace the much smaller Lynx anti-tank helicopter. Air crew training will be divided between actual flights and tuition in a state-of-the-art simulator.

Delays in the development of the sophisticated simulator brought adverse comment from the National Audit Office but Col David Short, commanding officer of 9 Regiment, said the problems had been resolved and he insisted that training for the first Apache squadron was on schedule.

Col Short described the Apache as "a demanding beast" and said its introduction had meant a 40pc increase in manpower, with corresponding rises in various support services.

Questioned about the effects on the surrounding area, Col Short said crews would spend 50pc of their time equally in the air and on the simulator. A similar proportion would apply to day and night flying.

"I don't think people will necessarily find a huge increase in the number of aircraft they see because we will be exporting training over a much wider area. We will be extending the range and reach of training and should not target the immediate locality."

Col Short added: "The Apache is a complex and capable aircraft. It is not a replacement for the tank but a useful addition to what the Army already has. It will give more punch to the troops in the field."

Apache pilot Capt Paul Bailey described it as "the Starship Enterprise compared with a B52 bomber." It was three times the size of a Lynx but only about one decibel louder.

Capt Bailey said the Lynx had seats side by side and crews had needed to make mental adjustments to allow for the different tandem arrangement in the Apache.

He said: "The biggest difference is that the two people have no eye contact in the Apache, but the communications are brilliant. We can e-mail each other and pass targets and the cockpit is fully digital.

"For a big, heavy aircraft it is very manoeuvrable and the whole package is so well put together."

Col Short said that, as well as acting as a weapons platform supporting infantry, paratroopers, commandos and tanks on the ground, the Apache would be a useful intelligence gathering tool.

It could also support RAF and Royal Navy operations.

At present, all the Apache pilots of the future at Dishforth are men, but some women have been earmarked for the next training course.