March 03, 2007	Saturday	Safar 13, 1428

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RAWALPINDI, March 2: The five-day Field Firing Exercises by the Combat Aviation Group of the Army Aviation ended here at Muzaffargarh ranges near Multan.

According to the ISPR, the exercises which started on Feb 25 culminated with a spectacular fire power demonstration by the newly-inducted refurbished Cobra helicopter gunships.

The Army Aviation Command general officer commanding and other senior officers witnessed the exercise on the final day in which pilots demonstrated their prowess and skills.

Another important feature of the exercise was firing by Cobra helicopters at night and successful engagement of targets with accuracy.

In these exercises Cobra gunship used all its weaponry, including anti-tank missiles, cannons and rockets.

Once the backbone of the United States Army attack helicopter fleet, the AH-1 Cobra stands fully replaced by the AH-64 Apache in US Army service.

The United States handed over eight Cobra helicopter gunships to Pakistan last month to boost its capability to conduct operations against extremists.

The refurbished helicopters, specially equipped for night-time operations, were part of a $50 million deal for 20 refurbished helicopters.