Video shows British-made fighter missiles, modified in 3 months to launch from the ground, scoring Russian drone kills

[ad_1] Ukraine's air power launched footage of its Raven missile methods downing Russian drones.

The system makes use of an air-to-air missile that the UK tweaked in 4 months to fireside from a 6×6 Supacat.

The UK says the Raven missile system has a hit charge of 70% out of 400 engagements.

Ukraine's air power launched footage on Wednesday of UK-made Raven air defenses putting Russian air targets in at the least 5 cases.

The video incorporates a Ukrainian air protection crew discussing their experiences with the system, and their interviews are interspersed with clips of the missile hovering into the sky to destroy Russian drones.

The Raven fires what was initially the British Superior Quick Vary Air-to-Air Missile, often known as the AIM-132, which is principally geared up on the Royal Air Power's Hurricane and F-35 Lightning II fighter plane.

Nonetheless, the UK's protection ministry mentioned in 2022 that it had remodeled the missile right into a model for Ukraine that would hearth from a British 6×6 HMT600 Supacat transport car. On the time, it was touted as a key means for Ukraine to defend itself from Russian missile strikes.

The Asraam is especially helpful as a result of it is infrared-guided and locks onto its goal as soon as launched, even in poor climate. Floor crews can hearth it and relocate rapidly, they usually needn't keep a line of sight with their goal.

UK protection officers mentioned in 2023 that their groups took roughly 4 months to make the missile ground-launched and to coach Ukrainian crews to make use of the Raven.

Nonetheless, in an official video revealed in Might, Col. Olly Todd of the UK's job power supporting Ukraine mentioned the Raven "went from idea to supply" inside three months.

"They've performed over 400 engagements, which perceive with a hit charge of over 70%," Todd mentioned.

The Supacats are fitted with missile mounts taken from decommissioned UK jets, such because the BAE Hawk, SEPECAT Jaguar, and Panavia Twister. These are lessons of fighter plane that had been retired from fight during the last twenty years.

Crews inside use a gamepad controller to determine targets on a display screen and activate the missile's infrared lock-on system.

<img alt="A gamepad controller for the Raven air defense system can be seen in this close up." loading="lazy" width="960" height="503" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/RoeTySZtDgh6R7GcIFTodQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUwMztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/business_insider_articles_888/5166c9bc7497f95d7b8d132975e6117c"/> The Raven makes use of a gamepad controller that operators can use to seek out floor targets. UK Ministry of Defence by way of YouTube/Screenshot

With drones saturating the skies over Ukraine, Raven crews mentioned within the Wednesday video that they've largely been concentrating on uncrewed methods, plastering their Supacat with stickers of Russian Orlan, Shahed, and Zala drones to mark each kill they scored.

The Raven's launch controls function 4 switches that put together every mounted missile and a big crimson button for firing.

<img alt="A Ukrainian operator holds a switchboard with five switches and a launch button." loading="lazy" width="960" height="514" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="rounded-lg" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/aRssKSTLKFm8cZfwxJVDeg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUxNDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/business_insider_articles_888/369a0a57fbbc9989d3dbe7c32895d0ea"/> A Ukrainian operator reveals the launch controls for the Raven. Ukrainian Air Power by way of YouTube/Screenshot

A Ukrainian Raven operator talking to the digital camera mentioned crews are usually skilled so all members, together with the motive force and commander, can exchange one another if wanted.

In keeping with a June assertion by the UK's protection ministry, Ukraine has been provided with eight Raven methods and is because of obtain one other 5.

The UK says that the Asraam missiles provided to Ukraine had been sitting in its stock however had been attributable to expire, that means they'd have quickly been marked for disposal if not despatched to Kyiv.

Ukraine deploys different air protection methods just like the Raven as a result of they mix a hybrid mixture of munitions and launchers initially constructed for separate methods.

Recognized colloquially as "FrankenSAMs," they embrace modified Soviet-era Buk M1s that may hearth the American RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile, in addition to Soviet radars that pair with the AIM-9M Sidewinder air-to-air missile.