The Troops: Honed and ready, waiting for the nod from their masters

Pointing to the tower of black smoke from the waste pipes of an oil refinery in the distance, the pilot of the Lynx Mk 9 said: "That's Iraq. We're not going there ... not today."

With that, he banked to the left and headed west, skirting so low above the British camps that the faces of those waving from the ground were visible.

The shadow of the 3.5 tonne beast, until recently the fastest helicopter in the world, rippled over tents, camouflaged Warrior armoured personnel carriers and Challenger tanks. The ground rushed beneath, as the Lynx outpaced birds skimming the surface of the sand.

In the distance, the shattered remains of three giant satellite dishes, bombed during the past conflict, could be seen.

For the Army Air Corps pilots – JC and Johno – this was just another day of training in the Kuwaiti desert, preparing for war.

As they circled Camp Coyote, base for the British forces, they surveyed more than 20,000 troops and the vast machinery of war spread in pockets across 100 square miles of desert. Hundreds of armoured personnel carriers, tanks, helicopters, armed Land Rovers, refuelling tankers were evident – the vast firepower that has been waiting weeks for the political nod.

The men and women of the 3rd Regiment of the Army's elite helicopter fighting force have been in the Gulf for four weeks, honing their skills and their aircraft to the specific needs of the desert. The effect of the conditions is most evident at night. As the Lynxes land, sand swirls around the helicopter blades to create a spectacular firework display of sparks.

JC and Johno, pilots with 23 years experience between them, will be flying one of the £7m Mk9s. Unarmed apart from two side machine-guns for self protection, their job will be to rescue stricken pilots, airlift casualties and ferry troops and commanders around the battlefield.

"We are basically an airborne taxi," explained JC, a 42-year-old Glaswegian with a knack for understatement.

The 3rd Regiment Army Air Corps, part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade, has also brought out Lynx Mk7 fighter helicopters, which carry TOW anti-tank missiles and have a 100-mile range, as well as reconnaissance Gazelles.

More than 50 pilots from the 662, 663 and part of 653 squadrons – among almost 500 personnel from the regiment –- repeatedly practice landing to counteract the "goldfish bowl" effect of the sand, which threatens to engulf the helicopters, completely disorientating the pilots. After lessons learned in the last Gulf conflict and the 2001 Exercise Saif Sarea in Oman, they now have powerful filters on all their engines.

Yesterday, the Lynx – the only helicopter in the world which can fly completely inverted – was flying at a maximum height of 200ft to avoid any fast jets training above. It can, however, rise to 10,000ft or sink so low it skims the sand.

"It is extremely manoeuvrable and fast. It is a powerful little beast," explained JC.

First built in 1977, the Lynx has, for almost a quarter of a century, been the fastest helicopter in the world, with a top speed of 249.7 knots.

Only recently did Westland's new EH101 Merlin – now headed for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force – pip it to the finishing line.

"I got overtaken by a Merlin yesterday. It was awfully annoying," explained one pilot, offering an insight into the historic rivalry between the army air crew and their better-known counterparts.

With speculation that much of the fighting will be carried out under cover of darkness, pilots have night vision goggles – and refuelling crews use remote control landing lights to guide them in.

"Nobody looks forward to war but we are professionals at this game and we will do what we have to do. When you come to something like this, you become a close-knit community. That will be vital for when we move forward," said JC.

The 28-year-old flight commander added: "The main problem is the political situation. We are as ready as we can be, waiting for the rest of the world to actually decide what they want to do with us. We are fairly certain it is going to happen. It would be political suicide if they didn't now."