Gladiator

The Anvil Aerospace T8C Gladiator is a civilian variant of the UEEN's T8A Gladiator. Inspired by the carrier-based dive and torpedo bombers of World War II^[1] and designed as a fighter-bomber companion to Anvil's own F7 Hornet series,^[2] the Gladiator is equipped to carry and launch a substantial volume of ordinance at a standoff range of kilometres in addition to featuring powerful guns for close-in defense and aggression. This civilian version is also highly modifiable, including the potential to be fit to carry cargo.^[3]

Features

Ordinance

The undercarriage of the Gladiator features a bespoke "bomb-bay" designed to accommodate four powerful Size 5 missiles, which can be configured with a bespoke bomb rack to instead mount twelve Thunderball bombs or two Stormburst bombs, depending on the rack.^[4]^[5] In addition, the Gladiator is equipped with an additional four Size 4 ordinance hardpoints on its wings, enabling a range of configurations.

Firepower

The Gladiator is equipped with two pilot-operated Size 4 gun hardpoints mounted under its wings, in addition to a manned turret controlling two Size 3 guns.

Modularity*

The Gladiator's 'bomb-bay' can be exchanged for a cargo module, and the weaponry on the manned turret can be substituted with a tractor beam.^[6]

Flaws

Landing gear

The Gladiator's wing-mounted landing gear are situated at the limits of its horizontal axis in its wing-tips. This means that the loss of one or both wings can leave the Gladiator unbalanced when landed, and that the Gladiator's landed footprint can be wider than expected.^[7]

Ports

S6Manned Turret

2×S3VariPuck S3 Gimbal Mounthardware-locked
- S3CF-337 Panther Repeater

2×S4VariPuck S4 Gimbal Mount

S4CF-447 Rhino Repeater

2×S4MSD-423 Missile Rack

2×S3Arrester III Missile

2×S4MSD-442 Missile Rack

4×S2Ignite II Missile

S5Anvil Gladiator Quad S5 Missile Rack

4×S5Stalker V Missile

S2FullStop

S1Gladiator Ship Armor

2×S1Bracer

S2Maelstrom

S1Flight Blade

S1Beacon

S1Explorer

2×S1Anvil Gladiator - Decoy Launcher

S1Anvil Gladiator - Noise Launcher

S1Ecouter

S1ComfortAir

S1hardpoint_paint

Crew Stations

S1Anvil Gladiator

S1Access

S1TRGT. STATUS

Controllers

S1POWER

S1SHIELDS

S1WEAPONS

S1HEAT

S1COMMS

S1SECURITY

S1LIGHTS

S1MISSILES

S1Controller_CapacitorAssignment

S1Controller_Fuel

S1hardpoint_air_traffic_controller

Systems

S1Self Destruct Unit

2×S1hardpoint_weapon_regen_pool

Other

S1hardpoint_cockpit_radar

S1hardpoint_scanner

S1hardpoint_ping

S1hardpoint_cockpit_flair

S1hardpoint_cockpit_flair_hang

S1hardpoint_transponder

2×S1hardpoint_avionics_motherboard

S1Personal Storage

Landing Systems

S1Default_LandingSystem

Thrusters

2×S1ANVL_Gladiator_Thruster_Main

2×S1ANVL_Gladiator_Thruster_Retro

2×S1ANVL_Gladiator_Thruster_Mav_Joint_01

4×S1ANVL_Gladiator_Thruster_Mav_Joint_02

Fuel

2×S1INTK_ANVL_Gladiator

S1Internal Tank

2×S1Internal Tank

Docking

S1DockingTube_Fuel_Ports_ANVL_Gladiator

Relays

S1Relay

Model

Ship profile

Isometric	Above	Port-side	Front	Rear	Below

Isometric	Above	Port-side	Front	Rear

Weapon Kits

Image	Name	Description
	Size 3 Bomb Rack	This kit replaces the Gladiator's "bomb-bay" with a bespoke bomb rack that mounts twelve Size 3 bombs.
	Size 5 Bomb Rack	This kit replaces the Gladiator's "bomb-bay" with a bespoke bomb rack that mounts two Size 5 bombs.

Series variants

Gladiator

Gladiator

Fighter-bomber

T8A Gladiator

T8A Gladiator

Light Bomber

Paints

"Best In Show 2955"	"Nightbreak"

Acquisition

Buy: Yes
Rent: Unknown
Pledge: Yes

System	Location	Buy	Updated	Version
Stanton	Astro Armada - Area 18	4,365,900	2026-06-14	4.8.2

Lore

The T8A Gladiators were originally developed to bridge the gap between fighters and bombers for the military. Since their introduction into UEE service, Gladiators have participated with distinction in military and law enforcement operations in numerous theaters around the Empire and beyond.^[8]

During the Vanduul push after 2681, battling the encroaching horde from Orion to Tiber, the Gladiators of the 214th Squadron's Bravo Flight pulled double duty as S&R craft up to the last minutes of the Tiber pullout. In 2932, Bravo Flight broke rank in a raid on Virgil to pursue a distress signal. Rigged for stealth, the six Gladiators tracked the signal to the surface of Cyrene. A Vanduul patrol group was alerted and the ensuing battle resulted in heavy losses. The signal originated from a long destroyed 214th Squadron Wildcat. The black box was returned to Kilian and rather than face charges the survivors were hailed for finding this artefact of the squadron's history.^[9]

In 2933, the Gladiator was immortalised in the photograph "The Calm Before the Storm" by Major Taia Wallen - one of only a handful of images of Corin, Kilian.

The ship was introduced to the civilian market as the T8C Gladiator in 2943.^[10] Though a heavy-hitting bomber, the Gladiator has proven easy to modify and thus has become commonplace in the civilian market. The bomb bay can easily be converted for light transport. Many pilots choose to replace the rear turret’s laser cannon with a tractor beam, making it an ideal craft for light salvage missions.^[1]

Since their introduction into UEE service, Gladiators have participated with distinction in military and law enforcement operations in numerous theaters around the Empire and beyond. Gladiators have been used in:

Strategic Space-to-Ground bombing runs
Support for long-range squadron missions
Modified C&C and target assignment for multi-squadron combat scenarios
Aggressive environmental recalibration
Capital ship torpedo strikes
Stealth operations
Supply drops through enemy-controlled territory
Blockade running
Law enforcement high value target interception

This multi-role capability will continue to evolve as the Gladiator's systems are further developed.^{[citation needed]}

"A half-assed toy for full grown children to play fighter hero"
Silas Koerner, CEO of Consolidated Outland^[11]

Gallery

Development

2014-11-26	The Gladiator was initially created for Squadron 42 only.^[1]
2015-02-26	The development of Gladiator in 2013, the initial 2D concepts and a 3D concept mesh created by David Hobbins (Conceptist). When he was done, Andrew Ley (Concept Design Director) further refined the 3D concept mesh and the ship's appearance, as well as providing rough animations for the many mechanical elements. After that, Matthew Johns (Senior 3D Artist) remodelled the ship, adding detail as well as further refining the mechanical elements and rough animations. With rendered images of the newly created 3D mesh and guidance from Paul Jones (Art Director), Gavin Rothery (Freelance Conceptist) provided a 2D 'paintover' image for the Squadron 42 version of the Gladiator. Matthew then used this 2D paintover as a guide to inform the creation of textures and shaders that define the surfaces of the ship.^[12]
2015-04-11	The Gladiator became flight ready in Star Citizen Alpha 1.1.1.
2026-05-14	While the Gladiator was previously made capable of mounting the CST-313 "Castillo" bomb rack on its wing pylons despite the bomb racks being undersized, the Gladiator became fully bomb-capable after the release of bespoke bomb racks enabling the conversion of the ship's internal bay to carry bombs. This update also resolved a problem where the size 5 missiles were mounted directly to the bay doors and could easily be lost to damage.^[4]^[5]^[13]

Trivia

The design of the Gladiator drew inspiration from the carrier-based dive and torpedo bombers utilized during World War II, including models like the Grumman TBF Avenger and the Douglas SBD Dauntless.^[1]
The Gladiator was until Star Citizen Alpha 4.2.0 one of only two playable ships capable of mounting the Stalker V Missile (the other ship being the Vanguard Harbinger), and at the time this missile was also the only Size 5 ordinance the Gladiator and Vanguard could mount.^[3]^[14]
It is unknown whether the Sol Gladiators of Sataball are named after the ship.^{[citation needed]}