QinetiQ Target Systems Canada (QTSC) has supplied Hammerhead uncrewed surface vehicle targets for Exercise Cobra Gold in Thailand to simulate maritime threats during the multinational drill.
Cobra Gold is among the largest military exercises held in the Indo-Pacific region.
Naval and military units from the Royal Thai Navy, US Navy, US Army, the South Korean Navy, and the Republic of Singapore Navy participated in the scenarios.
They worked to detect, track, and neutralize the unmanned vessels using both surface and aerial assets.
During the exercise, 10 Hammerhead targets challenged participants across three scenarios designed to test allied responses to unmanned surface threats.
“The Hammerhead is a unique capability allowing our partners to train against realistic threats that they are facing around the world today,” stated Ryan Peterson, Customer Account Manager at QTSC.
“Deploying to Exercise Cobra Gold, a multinational exercise, means we can deliver frontline expertise and shape training standards at a time when the threat landscape continues to evolve at pace.”
Hammerhead Targets in Cobra Gold
The targets were used to reproduce a range of attack patterns, from single-vessel engagements to coordinated swarm attacks.
In the first scenario, four vehicles were deployed to imitate fast inshore attack craft approaching a beachhead, representing a potential assault force.
The vehicles launched and were recovered at sea with support from the Royal Thai Navy, while operators directed them remotely from land.
During the second and third scenarios, all 10 targets were launched and controlled from a Thai naval vessel.
In these phases, the Hammerheads simulated explosive-laden unmanned surface vessels, a threat increasingly observed in recent conflicts and maritime security incidents.
