The Raven-class was the result of an experimental Reunification Navy programme to develop a Frigate- sized warship specialising in Electronic Warfare, Cyber Warfare, and Electronic Countermeasures. This was intended to relieve pressure on RN multi-role units, which were expected to fulfil these roles in addition to their regular duties.
Development History
During the Fleet Modernisation Initiative, a series of studies were produced on fleet capabilities. One of these focussed on electronic warfare, and the findings suggested that a dedicated EW/ECM/CW vessel could offer new strategic possibilities, by extending the potential applications of EW beyond suppression and jamming to high-level infrastructure damage, in-depth sensor spoofing, and disabling civilian shipping. A follow up tactical appraisal also suggested that such a specialist vessel would significantly reduce the burden on the navy’s overworked multi-role assets, though it did note that many of these apparently new capabilities were already possible to achieve by uplinking the EW Suites of multiple ships.
A follow-up design study was therefore organised to examine the possibility of producing a specialised vessel. Top-end EW suites require extensive heat-sinking, and this was the primary practical problem that any design would have to address. This study also noted the benefits of having a cyberwarfare platform that could easily be separated from fleet networking, by isolating the capabilities in a single vessel.
Following this study, the concept was deemed appealing and a limited run of two ships was approved for field testing in 3351, with design contracts tendered in the usual way by the RN Central Design Committee. There were many submissions, but two designs were selected for final consideration: the first, by the legendary Martian Construction Board was an innovative and rather unique design using a uniquely-configured hull to accommodate the EW suites, Cyberwarfare Cell, and Defence Grid in a vessel smaller than most serving escorts; the second, submitted by the upstart Reinten-Hegel Yards, was far more straightforward, based around an enlarged ‘Standard-D’ frigate hull. For reasons of standardisation and cost-effectiveness, the RHY design won final approval, despite its larger size and slightly inferior capabilities.
The Standard-D frigate had proved to be an enormously successful design profile, and continued use of this platform was a huge point in RHY’s favour, especially given the need to further validate the fledgling Frigate Standardisation Programme. Their promised timeline was also important to their success; they claimed that the two test ships could be in service by 3354, well ahead of the agreed 3356 deadline on which the decision would be made regarding a full production run.
The first of the two ships, RAS Raven, was built in-house by RHY over the course of five months. The second was intended to directly follow, but given the relatively slow production speed of RHY’s new yard, the build contract was re-tendered, with the second hull laid down by Alarian Navy Yards a month later. She would be commissioned just two weeks after her sister as RAS Skylark. Provisional hulls were laid down for a further five vessels, which would be completed as Lorelei-class Frigates if the project was cancelled.
Raven and Skylark spent the remainder of 3354 on shakedown, work-up, and evaluation duties, before finally being deployed to active service for field testing. Raven was subsequently attached to Hadley Station to participate in large-scale fleet exercises, while Skylark was instead tasked with various specialised operations. The idea was that the first sister would test the concept’s usefulness to the battlefleet, and the second sister would be used to evaluate any potential special duties for which the ships would be useful.
Both ships proved eminently capable and extremely useful, earning glowing evaluations from their captains and operational commanders. However, it was felt that their success in low-intensity operations would not necessarily be reflected in high-end warfare, and so while the decision was quickly reached to complete the remaining five provisional hulls, there was no expanded order.
Flight II
Six of the seven planned ships were in service by 3360, when the Sixth Kharak-Ghar War broke out following a massive invasion of the Alliance frontier. RAS Blackbird, the fourth Raven-class, was at that time attached to 5th Battlefleet operating near the frontier, and thus saw action in the early days of the war. Not only did she prove highly capable in the early starside combat actions, but her high-end sensor spoofing capabilities were vital to enabling the Evacuation of Polen V by delaying the Kharak-Ghar advance - albeit she was destroyed towards the end of the action.
This success galvanised further investment in the project, and production was approved for an improved Flight II model, which featured enhanced point-defences, improved sensors and several other minor changes. Given the needs of war production, these were made the sole purview of RHY, which would end up devoting most of its capacity to the Raven-class throughout the war.
A total of 27 Flight II Ravens were built, with the intent to attach one to every permanent Battlefleet, and have several spares for special operations.
Flight I**
Following the war, the five surviving Flight I Ravens were cycled through a refit programme to bring them up to Flight II-standard.
Design
The Raven-class is in many respects a conventional Standard-D type frigate. However, various changes had to be made due to its specialised role. The most outwardly prominent of these is the enlarged, almost bulbous, waist section, expanded to accommodate the EW suites and their heat sinks in place of the primary missile array.
Ships in Class
All ships are named after famous songbirds. In the case of the Flight I all bar Edgar are named for Terran birds, but many of the Flight II vessels are named for birdlike aliens instead.
Flight I:
Raven
Skylark
Growler
Blackbird {lost}
Jackdaw {lost}
Magpie
Edgar
Flight II:
Nightingale
Goldfinch
Cardinal
Mockingbird
Wren {lost}
Woodlark
Sparrow
Chaffinch
Banks
Trila
Estella
Moravia
Vibra
Aeris
Hurtler {lost}
Hooping
Lakon
Walen
Bunting
Chatten
Lyre
Satin
Warbler
Bulbul
Javin {lost}
Bluethroat
Redcrest