Raven

"With such specialized units being available, there is certainly a hole to be filled when it comes to diversity, and the Raven does that exceedingly well. As one of the Terran’s most capable units, the Raven is an ideal drone, capable of providing unmatched protection and extremely valuable reconnaissance."

- Raynor's Raiders blurb

The Raven, formerly known as the Nighthawk, Vulkan and the TF-620 Nomad,  is a terran air unit featured in StarCraft II. It is based on constructing objects.

Software
The Raven is controlled remotely by a terran pilot while the craft's computer houses the main AI core that regulates all critical ship systems and sub-systems. The AI closely monitors variables like overall condition, temperature, energy levels, and external hazards. It processes billions of instructions per second, affording the Raven an ample degree of independent thought and decision making. A few military consultants, speaking on condition of anonymity, have expressed concerns that such a powerful AI could gain sentience, leading to abject disaster. It has been claimed in response that "there's no evidence to back up those claims, and subsequently, no reason to worry."

Hardware
"Yeah, let's give robots the ability to sweat. Battlefields don't smell bad enough already."

- A Dominion marine in regards to the Raven's weeping holes

Functionally, the Raven is a a robust all-around air-mobile vehicle and workhorse that combines the functions of a surveillance drone and a combat engineer. Layers of neosteel and synthetic weave make up the bulk of the Raven’s fuselage, with sturdy, space-grade fabric between each layer to provide insulation for internal components. The Raven is built to operate independently in harsh climates &mdash;the stabilizer fins and key points of the structure are equipped with microscopic weeping holes, which allow for the release of a multipurpose solution to break down ice buildups or cool the fuselage, depending on the environment the vessel is operating in.

Ravens excel in protection and reconnaissance due to their defensive auto-turrets and their advanced sensors, which can detect cloaked or burrowed enemies. The craft is equipped with an advanced manufacturing plant, where hundreds of thousands of AI-operated nanomachines diligently assemble a diversity of mission critical equipment, such as the auto-turret, point defense drone, and the seeker missile. These onboard production capabilities give the Raven greater operative flexibility than its science vessel predecessor. Its sensors consist of state-of-the-art surveillance and reconnaissance hardware. Two radars, operating at high/low frequencies respectively, and four high-resolution, multi-spectral cameras allow for target acquisition and tracking at long ranges. When the vessel’s low frequency radar detects anomalies, heuristic detection algorithms supported by thermal and electrical imaging sweep the area to find any cloaked threats.

History
The Terran Dominion initially designed the Raven to give low-level protection to its most isolated outposts, but recently the Raven has been used in escalating levels of conflict to replace the older and costlier science vessel. Further upgrades and adjustments have been implemented recently, as the ship transitions into a more active role while conflict levels escalate. Ravens are a common sight among the Fringe Worlds, and have become more common throughout the Koprulu sector. Many wonder if the "protection" they offer is just an excuse the Dominion uses to spy on its citizens.

Raynor's Raiders also have access to Ravens.

Game Unit
The Raven is analogous to the science vessel of the original StarCraft, and are "primarily support craft" for the terran factions. They have no standard attack of their own. They are strong against s.

Wings of Liberty Campaign
In StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, Ravens are unlocked through research. This costs 20 protoss research points, and is an alternative to the science vessel.

Patch 1.5 Test Changes
The Raven received changes during the Call to Action playtest. In August 2012, acceleration increased from 2 to 2.25 and speed increased from 2.25 to 2.5. This was done to improve the micro. In November 2012, the Seeker Missile no longer required an upgrade.

Quotations

 * See: StarCraft II Raven Quotations

Trivia

 * If one looks at the unit portrait in the map editor, one can find that on the back side of some of the monitors there are unit ability icons such as cloaking, lockdown, lift off, load, Hercules dropship's rapid deployment and an unknown icon. There is even the "unload" command icon behind the machine in front of the user.


 * There is an animation where all the monitors explode and the pilot facepalms.


 * The pilot has his face angled away from the camera as shown in the photo below, but if seen from the front in the game files he has a generic face with wrinkles and a microphone. He sits with his mouth open. In some regards he can be viewed as a "gamer" because of some of his actions.


 * In the unit portrait, a close look at the screens shows what looks like a message from Arcturus Mengsk (there is a picture of his face and some text).


 * The name of the Corvid Reactor upgrade is a possible reference to the biological family of corvids, which includes ravens and several other birds.