Britain's Prince Harry Qualifies as Apache Pilot

Britain's Prince Harry has qualified as an Apache attack helicopter pilot, St. James's Palace said Thursday, adding that he had won a prize for shooting skills.

The 27-year-old received an award for being the best co-pilot gunner at a dinner Wednesday to celebrate the completion of 18 months of rigorous training by some 20 pilots.

The third in line to the British throne was given a polished 30-milimetre round from an Apache canon, mounted on a stand, at the dinner at Wattisham Air Station in Suffolk, eastern England, where he has been training.

He had also trained in the United States for two months last year at bases in California and Arizona.

Harry, a captain with the Army Air Corps, is reported to be keen to return to combat in Afghanistan after he was hastily withdrawn from his first tour of duty in 2008 when a media blackout was broken.

The state-of-the-art Apache helicopters are designed to destroy tanks using a formidable array of weapons, which include rockets and Hellfire missiles.

Britain has used the two-man helicopters in Afghanistan to hunt Taliban fighters, gather intelligence and provide cover for larger Chinook helicopters.