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.

Development
The Gladius was developed in the 26th century by Aegis Dynamics to replace the Stiletto interceptors. It was first deployed in the First Tevarin War.

Declassification
In 2944, 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. 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.

In 2017-07, the Gladius received a cockpit rework to accompany the new item 2.0 system. The center monitor is removed to provide better visibility for the front turret. The side monitors are enlarged to show additional information.