Apache helicopters in flypast as 3 Regiment Army Air Corps parades through Bury St Edmunds
ITV News Anglia's Callum Fairhurst was in Bury St Edmunds as the unit paraded
A flypast of Apache helicopters marked an army unit's delayed 50th anniversary celebrations, as soldiers marched through their home town.
Some 180 members of 3 Regiment Army Air Corps paraded through Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, after original plans were put on hold due to Covid.
The unit, which is based at Wattisham in the county, was awarded the Freedom of St Edmundsbury in 2010.
Troops marched from Abbey Gardens through the historic town centre of Bury St Edmunds, including past the Corn Exchange. Led by the British Army Band Colchester, the parade paused on Angel Hill for the salute.
Commanding Officer Lt Col Simon Wilsey described the procession as "a ceremonial duty".
"It is a great honour for the Regiment to exercise the Freedom of St Edmundsbury," he said.
"We’ve been based at Wattisham since 1993 and built strong and supportive links with local people.
"Today has been about celebrating our place in the Suffolk community, and putting on a show as a gesture of appreciation for the disturbance our flying training can cause.
“It is also an important time for the regiment as we enter a new era, changing the helicopters we operate from the Apache Mark 1 to the AH-64E.
"We are at the forefront of bringing this state-of-the-art helicopter into service, which will be a key element of how the Army fights in the coming decades.”
Among the soldiers on parade, was Staff Sgt Dudley Mennie, who said: “Taking part in a parade like this is a very humbling experience.
"It’s great to be out in public in uniform and feel the appreciation and support from the public who were clapping and taking photos as we marched past.”
The 3 Regiment Army Air Corps was formed in 1969 with squadrons based across the south of England.
It moved to Soest in Germany as a consolidated regiment in 1977, coming to Wattisham Flying Station in 1993.
It has flown the Gazelle, Lynx, and Apache Mark 1 attack helicopters on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Fifty Apache AH-64E aircrafts were purchased from the United States in January.
3 Regiment Army Air Corps will be the first unit to field the AH-64E, with engineers and aircrew going on training courses in the United States to prepare themselves to operate the helicopter.