Soldiers launch an FIM-92D Stinger missile toward a dummy drone target during a Cobra Gold drill in Lopburi, Thailand, Feb. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

LOPBURI, Thailand — Four missiles streaked over a freshly harvested cornfield Friday as U.S. and Thai soldiers launched one of the first live-fire drills of this year’s Cobra Gold, the region’s largest joint military exercise.

The annual training, held in Thailand since 1982, began Tuesday with an opening ceremony at Camp Suranaree, about 140 miles northeast of Bangkok. Since then, approximately 8,000 troops from 30 countries have dispersed across the country for a series of drills scheduled through March 7.

On Friday, fire teams from the U.S. and Thai armies targeted a dummy drone flying overhead. U.S. soldiers fired two portable FIM-92D Stinger missiles, while Thai troops launched two Starstreak missiles from a stationary launcher.

The ground-to-air missile drill marked the first use of a Stinger missile in Cobra Gold’s 44-year history.

The Stinger — a fire-and-forget weapon that’s proven itself to be pivotal weapon in Ukraine and other conflicts — locks onto a target’s infrared signature, while the Starstreak requires the operator to track the target manually with a laser.

Despite solid target locks and careful aiming, none of Friday’s missiles struck their target. That was due to the target itself rather than any errors by the troops, said Lt. Col. Brandon Wohlschlegel.

“The Stinger and Starstreak are really meant to be used for fast movers at lower altitudes,” such as helicopters, he told Stars and Stripes after the drill.

Sgt. Jared Eckert, pointing, and Sgt. Kyle McWhorter, far left, prepare to fire a Stinger missile during a Cobra Gold drill in Lopburi, Thailand, Feb. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

An MQM-170 Outlaw target drone takes off in an empty field in Lopburi, Thailand, during a Cobra Gold ground-to-air missile drill, Feb. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

Sgt. Kyle McWhorter, an infantryman with the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, puts out a small fire during a Cobra Gold missile exercise in Lopburi, Thailand, Feb. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

Drone operators pilot an MQM-170 Outlaw during Cobra Gold training for Stinger missiles in Lopburi, Thailand, Feb. 28, 2025. (Alex Wilson/Stars and Stripes)

The dummy drone, a Griffon Aerospace MQM-170 Outlaw, was the largest available training target, Wohlschlegel said, adding that modifications are being developed to increase its heat signature for future exercises.

For Sgts. Kyle McWhorter and Jared Eckert, both with the 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo., the drill was still a valuable experience.

“It’s not often you see infantrymen going out representing their country, especially on this weapon system,” McWhorter said. “Despite the anticlimactic ending, it was good training for our readiness.”

Cobra Gold features a range of drills, including command-and-control exercises, large-scale field training, amphibious landings, and humanitarian projects such as disaster-relief and construction, said Capt. Jennifer Messina, spokeswoman for the 7th Infantry Division’s Combined Joint Information Bureau.

This year’s exercise also reflects the “evolving nature of modern warfare,” with a new emphasis on cyber defense, space operations and counter-drone exercises, she told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday.