QinetiQ Target Systems Canada has delivered Hammerhead unmanned surface vehicle targets for the multinational military drill Cobra Gold held in Thailand. Cobra Gold is one of the largest military exercises conducted in the Indo-Pacific region and brings together armed forces from several allied nations. Participants in the exercise included the Royal Thai Navy, the United States Navy, the United States Army, the South Korean Navy, and the Republic of Singapore Navy. During the training scenarios, participating forces practiced detecting, tracking, and neutralizing unmanned surface vessels using both naval and aerial defense systems. Ten Hammerhead targets were deployed across three different scenarios designed to test allied responses to unmanned maritime threats. These targets recreated a variety of attack patterns ranging from individual vessel engagements to coordinated swarm attacks. In the first scenario, four Hammerhead vehicles were launched to imitate fast inshore attack craft approaching a coastal landing area. The vessels were deployed and later recovered at sea with support from the Royal Thai Navy while operators directed them remotely from land. In the second and third scenarios, all ten Hammerhead targets were launched from a Thai naval vessel and controlled remotely during the operation. These phases simulated explosive-laden unmanned surface vessels, a threat that has become increasingly visible in modern conflicts and maritime security incidents. The exercise allowed allied forces to test defensive tactics and strengthen cooperation in responding to emerging maritime threats in the region.
