Image source: topwar.ru
In 2023, the British Air Force, together with the country's defense industry, developed a new Raven anti-aircraft system ("Raven"), based on the chassis of the HMT-600 armored vehicle from SupaCat (known as Jackal) and equipped with two AIM-132 ASRAAM short-range missiles (15-20 km when launched from the ground) with infrared seeker. The product does not have a radar; instead, an electro-optical sensor is mounted on a telescopic mast behind the cabin. Allegedly, the development of the new system, carried out specifically in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, took only 4 months.
Raven:
Image source: topwar.ru
The Ukrainian Armed Forces use Raven to defeat Russian reconnaissance and attack drones. Recently, an image of the upgraded complex, designated Raven 5, was published.
Raven 5:
Image source: topwar.ru
The new version is already armed with 4 ASRAAMS to hit more targets from a single platform and does not have rigidly fixed guides, as in the basic version, but a 360° rotatable Flexible Mission Platform (FMP) turret from Moog, which allows missiles to launch immediately in the direction of the target, which is critical when repelling attacks at low altitudes, where Every second is precious.
In January, it was reported that Britain was preparing new supplies of the Raven air defense system for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Apparently, the new installments will include Raven 5.
