Mass: 20 tons
Frame: Endo Steel
Power Plant: Magna 245 XL
Cruising Speed: 75.6 kph
Maximum Speed: 118.8 kph
Armor: Hellespont Lite Ferro-Fibrous with CASE II
Armament:
1 SRM 4 Streak
2 ER Medium Lasers
1 Apple Churchill Guiding Light Narc Beacon
Manufacturer: Hellespont Industries
Primary Factory: Sian
Communications System: Ceres Metals Model 666 with Angel ECM
Targeting and Tracking System: Apple Churchill 2000 with Bloodhound
Probe and TAG
With the introduction of new, more advanced electronic warfare systems to the battlefields of the Inner Sphere, the RVN-3L Raven, introduced only years earlier as a paragon of electronic warfare technology, faced a rapidly approaching obsolescence. Its electronics, once top of the line, were no match for the new systems. The answer was obvious. Lady Liao-Allard ordered that the Raven be refitted with the newer systems.
This was easier said than done. The newer systems were heavier and bulkier than those carried by the original Raven, and the Raven's advanced design, which already incorporated weight-saving measures such as an XL engine and ferro-fibrous armor, didn't allow any easy way to reclaim the necessary space and weight. Faced with a major redesign, the designers took the opportunity to correct other flaws in the Raven as well.
The new Raven was built on a lighter Endo Steel frame, to save the necessary weight for the new electronics, and some more besides. Some of this extra weight was used to install a larger engine, giving the Raven a needed speed improvement. Though still not capable of matching the speed of other light scouts like the Ostscout or Locust, it is at least able to outpace the fast heavy mechs that are beginning to appear on the field. The larger engine incorporates better heat-dissipation technology, allowing the Raven to double the amount of waste heat it can dump. This in turn allowed the standard medium lasers to be increased in range.
The Beagle probe and Guardian ECM were upgraded to a Bloodhound probe and Angel ECM, respectively, and their positions in the torso were adjusted for structural reasons, and to move the expensive electronics away from the volatile SRM ammo. An improved CASE system shields the missiles, allowing the mech (and, more importantly, the onboard electronics) to potentially survive an ammunition explosion. The SRM launcher itself was also modified for structural reasons, replaced by a more compact SRM 4 Streak. Finally, the remaining weight was used to beef up the armor protection on the entire mech.
The result is a Raven improved in every way. The electronics upgrade was achieved, the improved lasers and better heat dissipation make it a greater threat in combat, and the higher speed, better armor, and CASE II give the formerly fragile mech much greater survivability.
Since the Raven no longer carries any Narc-capable missiles, the Narc launcher in the left arm may be more a liability than an asset, depending on the configuration of the lance and company the Raven is assigned to. Because of this, a standard field modification kit has been issued to replace the the Narc and its pods with a second SRM 4 Streak and more Streak ammo.