MOD Projects - Project Raven

Overview

Project Raven, formally known as the RAF Raven Communications Platform, represents a critical component of the Royal Air Force's digital transformation and operational capability. This secure, deployable, software-defined communications platform has been designed to support Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operations and modern air power projection. With an estimated budget of £32 million (excluding VAT), or £38.4 million including VAT, the project is scheduled for delivery and initial support between 2026 and 2028.

The platform provides comprehensive data, voice, and video services whilst ensuring mission assurance and enabling coalition interoperability. Its modular architecture and rapid deployment capabilities leverage both commercial technology and in-house developments, making it a vital enabler for the RAF's ability to operate from unconventional or austere bases in contested environments.

Strategic Purpose and Objectives

Enabling Agile Combat Employment

Project Raven has been developed specifically to facilitate Agile Combat Employment, a concept that requires the RAF to operate with enhanced flexibility and resilience. The platform's deployable nature allows rapid establishment of secure communications at diverse locations, including austere bases that may lack existing infrastructure. This capability is essential for maintaining operational effectiveness in scenarios where traditional, fixed installations may be vulnerable or unavailable.

Supporting Modern Air Power Projection

As a critical enabler for the projection of modern air power, Project Raven provides the communications backbone necessary for contemporary RAF operations. The platform supports the full spectrum of communication requirements—data, voice, and video—ensuring that operational commanders and aircrew have access to the information they need, when they need it, regardless of their location.

Creating the Common Operational Picture

Project Raven functions as a virtual communications node that works in conjunction with NEXUS to create a Common Operational Picture. By fusing data from multiple sources, the platform delivers actionable intelligence in real time, enabling faster and more informed decision-making across the operational spectrum. This capability is fundamental to maintaining situational awareness and coordinating complex air operations.

Enhancing Mission Assurance and Interoperability

The platform has been designed with mission assurance at its core, ensuring reliable communications even in challenged or contested environments. Additionally, Project Raven enables coalition interoperability, allowing the RAF to work seamlessly with allied forces using compatible communications systems—a critical requirement for modern joint and combined operations.

Technical Characteristics

Project Raven is characterised as a secure, software-defined communications platform with several key technical attributes:

Modular Architecture

The platform employs a modular design that allows for flexible configuration and scalability based on operational requirements. This modularity supports rapid deployment and adaptation to different operational contexts.

Software-Defined Approach

By utilising software-defined communications technology, the platform offers greater flexibility and easier updates compared to traditional hardware-based systems. This approach also facilitates integration with emerging technologies and evolving operational requirements.

Rapid Deployment Capability

The system has been engineered for swift deployment, enabling the RAF to establish secure communications at new locations quickly—a fundamental requirement for Agile Combat Employment operations.

Technology Integration

Project Raven leverages both commercial off-the-shelf technology and in-house RAF developments, combining the innovation and cost-effectiveness of commercial solutions with bespoke capabilities tailored to specific military requirements.

Budget and Funding

The estimated budget for Project Raven stands at £32 million excluding VAT, or £38.4 million when VAT is included. This funding covers the period from 2026 to 2028 and encompasses both the delivery of the platform and its initial support phase.

Budget Management Structure

Financial management for the project is undertaken by the Royal Air Force Commercial Team (RAF Commercial), with contracting authority residing at RAF Air Command, High Wycombe. The budget falls within the broader MOD and RAF allocation for digital and communications services, reflecting the platform's strategic importance to the service's digital transformation agenda.

Stakeholder Involvement

Whilst RAF Commercial holds primary budgetary responsibility, the project involves close coordination with Defence Digital and the RAF's 90 Signals Unit. The involvement of 90 Signals Unit is particularly significant, as this organisation will be responsible for the platform's in-service use and operational deployment once the system is delivered.

Delivery Partners and Procurement

Systems Integrator Requirement

The RAF has progressed Project Raven through the acquisition pipeline and announced a tender for a Systems Integrator on 7 July 2025. This tender, published on the Find a Tender service under reference number ocds-h6vhtk-05460b, seeks a contractor to support the day-to-day operations and service management of the Raven platform.

The Systems Integrator role is critical to ensuring the platform operates effectively once deployed. This partner will be responsible for ongoing technical support, system maintenance, service management, and potentially the integration of future enhancements or capability upgrades.

Procurement Route

The project is progressing through the formal MOD acquisition pipeline, following established procurement procedures for defence communications systems. The tendering process through Find a Tender ensures transparency and competitive procurement in line with UK public sector requirements.

Timeline and Current Status

Project Raven is currently in the procurement phase, with delivery and initial support scheduled for the period between 2026 and 2028. The RAF announced the tender for a Systems Integrator in July 2025, representing a significant milestone in the project's progression from concept and development to operational delivery.

The RAF has been actively advancing the project, moving it through the necessary approval and procurement stages. The tendering for operational support indicates that the platform's development is sufficiently mature to begin planning for in-service management and support arrangements.

Operational Context and Relevance

Central to RAF Digital Transformation

Project Raven occupies a central position in the RAF's broader digital transformation programme. As military operations become increasingly dependent on digital communications and data-driven decision-making, platforms like Raven provide the technological foundation necessary for modern air operations.

Resilience in Contested Environments

In an era where adversaries may target communications infrastructure, the deployable and resilient nature of Project Raven enhances the RAF's ability to maintain command and control even when operating in contested environments. The platform's secure design and rapid deployment capability reduce vulnerability to attacks on fixed communications infrastructure.

Supporting Rapid Airbase Establishment

The ability to quickly establish a functional airbase at diverse locations is a key tenet of Agile Combat Employment. Project Raven's rapid deployment capability is essential to this concept, enabling the RAF to set up the communications infrastructure necessary for air operations without requiring existing telecommunications networks or extensive preparation time.

Operational Flexibility

By providing a modular, deployable communications solution, Project Raven significantly enhances the RAF's operational flexibility. This flexibility allows the service to respond more effectively to emerging threats, operate from a wider range of locations, and maintain operational security through unpredictability and dispersion.

Commercial and Procurement Context

RAF Commercial Team Oversight

The management of Project Raven by the RAF Commercial Team at RAF Air Command reflects the project's significance and complexity. This team brings specialist procurement and commercial expertise to defence projects, ensuring value for money whilst meeting operational requirements.

Defence Digital Involvement

The close involvement of Defence Digital, the MOD's organisation responsible for digital services and technology, underscores the platform's importance to the broader defence digital infrastructure. This involvement helps ensure that Project Raven aligns with wider defence digital standards and can integrate effectively with other MOD systems.

Systems Integration Approach

The decision to procure a Systems Integrator rather than simply purchasing equipment reflects a sophisticated approach to capability delivery. By engaging a contractor for ongoing operations and service management, the RAF ensures that the platform will be supported throughout its operational life, with expertise available to address technical issues, implement updates, and potentially integrate new capabilities as requirements evolve.

Significance for Defence Procurement

Project Raven exemplifies several important trends in contemporary UK defence procurement:

• Emphasis on Deployability: The focus on rapidly deployable capabilities reflects the evolving nature of military operations and the need for flexibility in response to diverse threats and scenarios.
  
  
• Software-Defined Systems: The adoption of software-defined approaches demonstrates the MOD's recognition of the advantages of flexibility, updateability, and integration that modern software-based systems offer.
  
  
• Commercial Technology Integration: The leveraging of commercial technology alongside military-specific developments represents a pragmatic approach to capability delivery, potentially reducing costs and development timescales whilst maintaining necessary security and performance standards.
  
  
• Importance of Digital Infrastructure: The significant investment in communications infrastructure underscores the critical role that digital systems play in modern military operations, where information superiority can prove decisive.
  
  

Conclusion

Project Raven represents a substantial investment in the communications infrastructure necessary for modern RAF operations. With its focus on deployability, security, and interoperability, the platform addresses critical operational requirements for Agile Combat Employment and air power projection.

As the project progresses through procurement towards delivery between 2026 and 2028, it will provide the RAF with enhanced capability to establish and maintain communications in diverse operational contexts, supporting the service's digital transformation and operational flexibility in an increasingly complex and contested environment.

The selection of a Systems Integrator to manage day-to-day operations will be crucial to ensuring that this capability delivers its intended operational benefits once deployed. As Project Raven moves towards operational service, it will join the suite of digital capabilities enabling the RAF to maintain its operational effectiveness in the face of evolving challenges and threats.