QinetiQ subsidiary QinetiQ Target Systems Canada (QTSC) has delivered Hammerhead unmanned surface vehicle targets for Exercise Cobra Gold in Thailand, helping simulate maritime threats during the large multinational drill.
Considered one of the biggest military exercises in the Indo-Pacific, Cobra Gold brought together naval and military forces from the Royal Thai Navy, United States Navy, United States Army, Republic of Korea Navy, and Republic of Singapore Navy. Participating units conducted operations to detect, track, and neutralize unmanned vessels using a combination of surface ships and aerial platforms.
During the exercise, 10 Hammerhead targets were deployed across three scenarios designed to test how allied forces respond to unmanned maritime threats.
Hammerhead Targets in Cobra Gold
The Hammerhead vehicles recreated multiple attack profiles, ranging from single-vessel approaches to coordinated swarm assaults. In the first scenario, four vehicles simulated fast inshore attack craft approaching a beachhead, representing a potential amphibious assault.
These vehicles were launched and recovered at sea with assistance from the Royal Thai Navy, while operators controlled them remotely from land. In the second and third scenarios, all 10 Hammerhead targets were launched and operated from a Thai naval vessel.
In these later phases, the vehicles simulated explosive-laden unmanned surface vessels, reflecting a type of maritime threat increasingly seen in modern conflicts and security incidents.
