A new Frankenstein weapon built by Britain has played a critical role in defending Ukraine from Russian drones and cruise missiles, it has been revealed. The UK has been secretly supplying the Raven air defence system since November 2022 after a rapid procurement process.
It has emerged the short-range weapon has been used to protect power facilities, hospitals and frontline units – it is also believed to have been used as an additional line of defence outside the Presidential Palace in Kyiv. Colonel Olly Todd, of the UK’s Kindred Task Force which helps arm Ukraine, said it has proved particularly effective against the Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia has used extensively to target Ukrainian infrastructure. The Royal Marines officer hailed it as “one of the most effective” air defence systems in Ukraine.
It was test-fired just three times, including from a boat in the Irish Sea, before being put in Ukrainian hands in what is being triumphed as an example of high-speed British innovation.
“In some ways, this story is really about the speed of design to delivery of the capability,” Colonel Todd said.
The idea behind Raven began when surplus and ageing Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM), used by Britain’s Typhoon and F-35B fighter jets, were identified as potential use for the Ukrainians by adapting them to fire from the ground.
To achieve this, the 88kg missiles are attached to rails, some at least 15 years old, from retired RAF Tornado, Hawk and Jaguar jets on the back of “highly mobile” 6×6 Supacat vehicles originally purchased for the British Army in the 2000s.
Eight of the launchers have been delivered to Ukraine so far, being fired more than 400 times.
Five more launchers, as well as additional missiles, are expected to be sent in the near future.
Col Todd said: “The ASRAAM missile is our number one air defence missile for use on all of the combat aircraft in the RAF.
“They are continually coming off the production line in MBDA, but there will be missiles that now are in the system, which are maybe 10 years old, maybe 15 years old, and we may well be able to transfer those to Ukraine in due course.”
He added: “There is another mechanism known as the Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration, which is the interest on seized assets, which may allow Ukraine to actually buy some of these missiles from the UK, which would be a wonderful irony that Ukraine is using the interest on Putin’s assets to buy missiles from the UK to then fire at Putin’s drones and missiles.
“That would be a wonderful kind of irony or karma of the whole thing.
“So it won’t just be us giving our oldest missiles to Ukraine, it might be Ukraine buying some of those missiles as well.”
The cost of Raven has not been confirmed but Col Todd said the missile brand new is “reassuringly expensive”.
It has also been revealed that Britain has been sending flat-pack decoys of Raven with heat emitters to fool Russia.
Squadron Leader Lowri, who is the project lead for Raven, said the decoys are assembled in a “matter of hours” before being towed into place.
As an amalgamation of different platforms, Raven is being dubbed a FrankenSAM – a wordplay on Frankenstein and SAM which stands for surface-to-air missile.
Its arrival in Ukraine is allowing Kyiv’s more expensive weapons to focus on threats such as ballistic missiles.
“The sensor and the camera’s incredible,” Col Todd explained.
“That can identify targets well beyond the range of the actual missiles themselves, so it’s very effective and also passive as well.
“It gives off no radar signature, so there is no warning before the launch in terms of an aircraft or drone or cruise missile.”
Experts have long raised concerns over Britain’s own air defence capabilities, warning the UK would struggle to repel attacks like those seen by Russia on Ukraine.
Col Todd said “absolutely” Raven could be adopted by British forces but further tests would be required.
Another new missile system for Ukraine, Gravehawk, was unveiled at RAF Northolt earlier this year.