The United Kingdom has revealed details about a previously secret air defence system, code-named Raven, which has been deployed in Ukraine since the spring of 2023. Developed in just four months by the RAF Air and Space Warfare Centre, in cooperation with British defence firms MBDA UK and Supacat, the Raven system has quietly played a significant role in protecting Ukrainian skies from Russian aerial threats.
Raven, also unofficially known as “Franken SAM,” is built on the Supacat HMT600 vehicle platform and is armed with advanced short-range ASRAAM missiles. Each missile weighs 88 kilograms and can hit air targets including drones and combat aircraft at a range of up to 15 kilometres from ground launch or 25 kilometres from an aircraft. Its 10 kilogram warhead delivers precision firepower at remarkable speeds.
Since its arrival in Ukraine, Raven has launched over 400 missiles, boasting an operational success rate of 70 percent, particularly against Iranian-made Shahed 136 drones used by the Russian military. The United Kingdom has already supplied Ukraine with eight such systems, and an additional five are in the final stages of preparation for delivery.
The training of Ukrainian operators began with 40 soldiers, who were then tasked with instructing others upon returning home. British sources highlight the increased demand for such systems due to ongoing Russian attacks and the challenges faced in obtaining US-made Patriot air defence systems.
In a separate development, Ukraine’s 413th Separate Battalion of Unmanned Systems, known by its callsign RAID, has carried out another high-precision operation deep in Russian-held territory. Using drones, the battalion destroyed several high-value Russian military targets, including a rare 2S43 Malva self-propelled howitzer, a BMD-4 infantry fighting vehicle, a mine-clearing trawl, and a KamAZ truck loaded with supplies. The loss of the Malva artillery piece is a serious blow to the Russian military, as the system had been considered a symbol of their modernisation efforts.
The RAID unit has become a cornerstone of Ukraine’s evolving approach to drone warfare. Operating with stealth and surgical precision, these teams identify, track and eliminate enemy targets beyond the front lines, disrupting Russian logistics and firepower. Their speed and adaptability in fluid combat conditions have proven highly effective and are reshaping the battlefield.
Further demonstrating Ukraine’s military prowess, the Krylata Dopeka unit from the 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade successfully eliminated a 2S5 Giatsint-S self-propelled artillery system. This Russian long-range weapon, capable of firing 152 millimetre shells up to 28 kilometres, had been a persistent threat to Ukrainian positions. Its destruction not only neutralises a lethal tool but also hampers Russian artillery operations in the region.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the Coast Guard has, for the first time in five decades, commissioned the construction of a new class of heavy polar icebreakers. Seattle-based Bollinger Shipyards has been selected to build the vessels, with three ships ordered under the Polar Security Cutter programme. The only existing heavy polar icebreaker in US service, the USCGC Polar Star, is nearly 50 years old, while its counterpart, the medium icebreaker USCGC Healy, is out of action due to fire damage.
