With weapons drawn camouflaged troops leapt out of amphibious assault craft while explosions sounded and parachutists glided in from above as the annual Cobra Gold war games took over a placid Thai beach on Saturday.

Now in its 38th year, Cobra Gold is one of the largest military exercises in Asia, bringing thousands of forces from the US, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia together for 11 days of training on Thai shores.

This year’s drill includes some 2,000 US Marines, 1,000 US soldiers and hundreds from the country’s Navy and Air Force.