Raven

51 (Elite)

68 (Heroic)

60000 (Heroic)

Laser Guidance

## Introduction

The **Raven** is General Algrin "A.I." Ironhand's VTOL combat drone. It's small and lightly armored, but is very fast and nimble, and is capable of engaging both air and ground targets.

## Overview

General Ironhand's "helicopter" unit has underwent many changes, it started out as a normal Comanche, which was then replaced with the Hecate, which was then replaced with the Orca, before finally becoming the Raven.

The Raven is a mini VTOL combat drone which has a futuristic airframe and which is powered by a compact jet engine to keep it airborne and move around. Its only weapon is a triple barrelled chaingun to target ground units and twin missile launchers to deal with enemy aircraft. Its armour is also very thin. After all, it's only intended to be an infantry support aircraft, not a full-on assault craft like the Thor or the Helix.

Although available at rank 1, the Raven appears to be rather underwhelming at first, it's armed with a triple-barrelled chaingun, and after the Improved Homing Warheads upgrade is purchased, twin missile launchers, however, the missile launchers on a Raven are anti-air only. Against ground targets, the Raven must depend on its chaingun which is only effective against infantries and light armor, and will only deal scratch damage against structures and buildings unless attacking en mass. Its armor is also somewhat underwhelming, making it very easy to take down with AA weapons.

However, compared to the Comanche and the Thor, the Raven does have several advantages:

* The first and most notable is its speed which is comparable to that of jet fighters, this makes the Raven quick to respond to enemy threats and highly competent with hit & run tactics.
* The second is its cheapness, which is a necessary quality as the Raven needs to be fielded en mass to become effective.

## Upgrades

**Laser Guidance**

* Increase the damage output of the Raven's air-to-air missiles by 25%, available at the Strategy Center at Rank 3.

**Improved Homing Warheads**

* Allows the Raven to engage enemy air units, available at the Strategy Center at Rank 3.

**Drone Armor**

* Increase the durability of the Raven, available at the Strategy Center at Rank 3.

## Assessment

Pros:

* Very fast and agile, can use its speed to escape most threats.
* Can engage both air and ground targets.
* Cheaper ($700) than helicopters and easy to mass produce.
* Available at Rank 1.

Cons:

* Anti-ground weapon is weak and will have little effect against armor and structures unless in numbers.
* Fragile, easy to kill with AA weapons.
* Being a droid, it cannot gain veterancy.
* Tends to clump together when attacking, therefore highly vulnerable to AA weapons that deals splash damage.

## Trivia

* Prior to Patch 2, the Raven was unlocked only at Rank 3 and came with AA missiles by default.
* Prior to Patch 3, the Raven has the ability to equip its own drone. The drones can not only increase the Raven's effectiveness, but also serve as a distraction for AA fire (This only works against A.I players as human players can manually order AA units to target the Ravens themselves).