'I couldn't see the tank. I couldn't see it...someone was screaming over the radio. Scream all you want, I still can't see it, I said to my pilot. The next explosion was so close it lifted my chest armour off my body in the shock wave. The noise brought me back to my awful reality. I looked out of the sight to see the shattered cockpit glass. The next one would be it and we knew it.' Lieutenant Commander James Newton survived and was awarded the Distingushed Flying Cross for his bravery. In a career that has seen him in action in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone Northern Ireland and most recently Iraq, Newton is no stranger to being shot at. He has flown all the aircraft the Navy has and even ones it doesn't. Thrilling, fast-paced and an adrenaline-fuelled journey through a pilot's life, Armed Action is a fascinating insight into life in the air.

Lieutenant Commander James Newton has flown in the Royal Navy since 1991. He flies all types of aircraft, including the Sea King helicopter, which he flew for the Maritime Counter Terrorist missions. He has flown Prime Ministers and all the current military commanders. He flew the Lynx in the disaster relief following Hurricane Mitch and was involved in the handover in Hong Kong. He is still a serving Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy and is now responsible for Standards and Practices within the Fleet Air Arm.