Royal Thai Marines' 8x8 AWAV Joins Cobra Gold 2025 Exercise for the First Time

10 Maret 2025

AWAV 8x8 amphibious armored vehicle during Cobra Gold 2025 exercise at Sattahip (photos: RTMC, Exercise Cobra Gold)

The amphibious exercise into the operational area (AMPHIBEX: Amphibious Exercise) as part of the Cobra Gold 2025 multinational exercise at the Royal Thai Navy Training Area No. 15, Hat Yao, Sattahip District, Chonburi Province on March 3, 2025 was the first time that the Royal Thai Marine Corps (RTMC) was seen bringing out its new equipment. 

It is an 8x8 wheeled armored personnel carrier (AWAV) of 7 vehicles of the Marine Assault Amphibian Vehicle Battalion, Marine Division, designed and manufactured domestically by Chaiseri Metal & Rubber Co. Ltd., Thailand, participating.

Along with the AAV7A1 RAM/RS amphibious vehicles which have also been modernized by Chaiseri Thailand and 2 BTR-3E1 8x8 wheeled armoured vehicles, an armored company and 4x4 HMMWV tankers armed with TOW 2A RF anti-tank guided missiles, an anti-tank company, a tank battalion, Marine Division, Marine Tank Battalion. The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) has deployed a naval force consisting of a floating landing platform dock (LPD) ship, HTMS Angthong and two large landing craft of the HTMS Thongkaew class, HTMS Thonglang and HTMS Wangnai (LCU). The United States Navy (USN) has deployed an Independence-class littoral combat ship (LCS), the LCS-12 USS Omaha.

The Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) deployed the Cheon Wang Bong-class large landing ship (LST) No Jeok Bong, and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) deployed the Endurance-class floating dock landing ship RSS Endeavour (210) to support the land and air forces. Consisting of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), the Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC) brought 6 KAAV amphibious vehicles, 1 K55 tracked self-propelled howitzer, and air forces including the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) brought 2 F-16AM EMLU fighter jets from Squadron 403, Wing 4.

The US Air Force (USAF) is flying the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fighter jet, the US Navy is flying the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk anti-submarine helicopter, and the US Army is flying the Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopter and the Boeing AH-64E Apache attack helicopter and the Royal Thai Naval Air Division (RTNAD) brought in one SH-60B Seahawk anti-submarine helicopter, one Super Lynx 300 anti-surface ship helicopter, and one UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) system to provide air support to the amphibious force, etc.

Chaiseri Thailand has completed the delivery of 7 AWAV 8x8 amphibious armoured personnel carriers (AWAV) in September 2024 under the contract announced on August 3, 2023 . The handover ceremony was held on the same day.

The Royal Thai Marines have continuously brought their AWAV 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles to participate in various exercises, both the 2025 Joint Fleet Tactics Exercise and the 2025 Royal Thai Navy Exercise. The latest Cobra Gold 2025 exercise is a good demonstration to friendly countries of Thailand's defense industry capabilities.

(AAG)