My very first attempt at hard-surface modeling and ship design within Blender, with more mesh edits and textures to come. I've written some quick lore below, but the design notes can be found within the gallery.
---LORE---
The IBIS-Class (Impulse Bomber/Interceptor and Security) Patrol and Support Craft is an atmospheric and orbital defense fighter outfitted for a jack-of-all-trades approach that sacrifices agility for versatility.
---ARMAMENT---
Equipped with two mass driver cannons mounted on either side of the fighter's nose, the IBIS has a relatively slow rate of fire compared to other craft designed for interception duties. To compensate, each gun sports an underslung laser-targeting system that tracks enemy craft in 3D, providing highly accurate aim assistance designed to lead each volley for devastating effect at long ranges. This has led to the IBIS-Class reportedly being utilized as a mobile "sniper's nest" positioned at the fringe of larger military engagements, firing with deadly effect at small and midsized craft while staying outside of the weapons range of more agile enemy fighters.
This targeting system can also "paint" targets when the IBIS pilot chooses to launch the wing-mounted ordinance bays. While most pilots rely on these missiles when intercepting enemy fighters at short-to-medium range, they have been utilized successfully against corvettes and can even harass armored enemy frigates outside of flak range.
---FLIGHT SPECS---
During in-atmosphere operations, the IBIS is heavily reliant on its five ram air intakes positioned on the underside of the hull, wings, and interior sides of the engine nacelles. These provide impressive thrust via the oversized Havana Interplanetary ramjet/ion engines mounted on the wings.
Equipped with these unique crossover engines, the fighter was unusually equally adept both in-and-out of atmosphere. These allowed for rapid runway takeoff and acceleration, while sacrificing in-flight maneuverability. During space flight, the IBIS utilizes its ion engines and RCS nodules to become a much more nimble (albeit slower) craft in zero G. Due to this design philosophy focused on adaptability, the IBIS is outmaneuvered by any dedicated space or atmospheric fighter in most contexts.
The Havana Interplanetary Fixed-Vector (HI-FV) propulsion systems, affectionately referred to as "Hi-Fives", are the centerpiece of the whole patrol craft. Upon initial debut, rival engineers scoffed at the prospect of a miniaturized atmo-to-orbit thrust system, notably its inability to reach escape velocity. However, as the frontier expanded to more worlds with thin atmospheres or lower gravity, these antiquated thrusters actually gained additional functionality during the ensuing decades, and eventually became the lowest-cost propulsion solution for the spacefaring everyman.
---HISTORY---
Designed by Takeshi Precision Aeronautics in 2110, the IBIS was engineered as more of a patrol craft than a multirole fighter, typically sold directly to contracted corporate security forces who preferred the IBIS for its affordability, easy upkeep and durability. Eventually, Takeshi and competitors released more specialized craft that became the new mainstays of private security forces like the Takeshi Vindicator SR-10 and Aeroscape's SCRAM line of rapid response vessels, albeit at a drastically higher cost per unit.
As one of the earliest consumer-available snub craft, resold IBIS fighters and repair parts became ubiquitous throughout the following decades. Notably, the IBIS became the go-to fightercraft for frontier security forces, followed by bounty hunters, eventually trickling down to the criminal underworld. Being built and sold before the sweeping spacecraft manufacturing regulations of the 2130s, the IBIS lacked features common to its successors - notably, no locator beacon or remote takeover functionality. This made theft of the craft a constant problem for its users, and enabled the ship jacker to stay off the grid without issue. This made the IBIS an infamous, yet undeniably popular choice of vessel throughout the 'verse.
By the end of the 2100's, the snub craft had proliferated throughout the civilian and criminal sectors so thoroughly that some have condemned the IBIS as "a cornerstone of 22nd century space piracy" - though Takeshi Precision Aeronautics declines to acknowledge these criticisms.