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The Proxima War lasted longer than even the most conservative projections had forseen. Ultimately, however, the war entered its final stages and the action shifted from space to the Proximan homeworld. Avery Astronautics foresaw the need for a surface strike craft able to operate in environments ranging from total vacuum to dense atmospheres, and embryonic Cobra designs were leaving Avery's drawing boards as early as 2155. However, military officials were confident that the Proximans would surrender once pressed back into their own system, before a ground war became necessary. The Proximans, however, withstood the orbital bombardments and became adept at disguising their installations to make any further efforts in that vein next to useless. When it became clear that mopping up on the ground was an inevitable scenario,

Dedicated surface attack craft suddenly became high priority. However, the Allies had difficulty adapting their existing atmospheric attack craft to Proximan surface conditions, and while they had some success altering certain spacecraft for a ground attack role, these were not ideally suited to the job.

Avery came to the rescue of the cash-strapped government, modifying their design to utilize "leftover" components from other ship systems. They also pointed out that the ground war provided a perfect proving ground at no additional cost.

The scattered and weakened Proximan forces meant that there was opportunity to test new designs without significant risk. As a result, Cobra prototypes were shipped directly to the front lines, where they were first deployed in 2167 and became an instant success. Captured Proximan orbital shipyards were soon turned over to the production of Cobras on-site.
Another in the long line of radical and daring Avery designs, the Cobra at first drew some derisive comments for its asymmetrical design, and its low-cost design philosophy earned it the nickname of "Scraps". However, its performance and ease of maintenance soon trumped any complaints about aesthetics, and "Scraps" became a term of endearment.

The Cobra carried both a conventional nuclear / hydrogen engine as well as a ramjet system. The nuclear turbine was used for operations in airless environments, with the ramjet being utilized within an atmosphere for high-speed cruising, or combined with the turbine for bursts of speed over targets. The Cobra was equipped with a sophisticated terrain mapping system that allowed it to skim very close to the ground on its attack runs. Its speed and low approach angle made it difficult for ground-based gunners to track. The Cobra was also heavily armored, especially around the cockpit, and could survive multiple hits from light weapons and still keep flying.

The greatest strength of the Cobra, however, lay in its flexibility and modular design. Weapons packs containing a variety of munitions could be attached and detached from hardpoints under the wings in a matter of minutes with minimal ground crew support, allowing the ship to be customized on short notice to deal with evolving situations. The upper gun blisters also mounted weapon modules that were simply dropped in and plugged into the ship's power couplings. Even the body modules and wing assemblies could be swapped with little equipment. In one incident, a Terran forward base was successfully struck by Proximan raiders, disabling all six of the Cobras stationed there. Within three hours the base commander had taken six damaged Cobras and reassembled them into three operational Cobras, using them to launch a surprise counterstrike against the Proximans forces, annihilating them.

While the Proxima War has officially ended, the Cobra continues to play an important role in winning the peace. As various rogue units of the Proximan military and guerilla forces continue their resistance, the Cobra has been important for its ability to make quick, pinpoint strikes at small targets.