Gladius

The Aegis Gladius is a light fighter of an older design which has been updated over the years to keep up with modern technology. In military circles, the Gladius is beloved for its performance and its simplicity. A fast, light fighter with a laser-focus on dogfighting, the Gladius is an ideal interceptor or escort ship.

History
Built by Aegis Dynamics, the Gladius is the United Empire of Earth’s current front-line light fighter, serving against the Vanduul onboard Bengal carriers and elsewhere.

Now, the Gladius is available for civilians! With some Gladius squadrons converting to the wider deployment of the F7A Hornet and the introduction of the F8 Lightning to elite units, the Navy has begun to auction older Gladius to planetary governments and qualified mercenaries. Fewer moving parts than the Hornet means new pilots can adapt to the ship more quickly and ground crews can keep them flying more easily...

The spacecraft available to civilians are retired military models, with the same specifications and upgrade potential. Classified weapons technologies have been removed from the spaceframes, but they can be outfitted with a variety of civilian-grade weapons. The decommissioning process has also made room for civilian standard upgrades such as jump drives.

Development
The Gladius was designed by Gavin Rothery (Freelance Concept Artist) and directed by Paul Jones. Other contributors include Foundry 42's Bjorn Seinstra (Lead Vehicle Artist), Phill Meller (Lead Designer), Neil McKnight (Senior 3D Artist), along with Chris Roberts.