Though Robert Kelswa-Steiner’s efforts to forge an independent Skye nation during the FedCom civil war came to naught, his efforts vastly improved his position. He was seen by many in the Isle of Skye as their natural leader. After the tragic death of Duchess Margaret Aten and her daughter Ilse in 3065, he was acclaimed duke of the Federation of Skye, granting him the political power his father sought for many years. Kelswa-Steiner’s marriage to Duchess Aten’s last remaining child, Hermione, solidified his hold on power. In addition, the birth of an heir-Margaret Steiner-ensured the succession.
         The duke sought to rebuild his province’s defenses, which were shattered by the rival forces of the civil war. In doing so, he paid particular attention to locally produced equipment. Cyclops Incorporated, one of Skye’s major arms manufacturers, received a personal visit from Duke Robert. He impressed on CEO Morgan Durant the need for the quick development and deployment of a "Skye tank" to demonstrate the determination and competence of the province to ensure its defense. The Glaive medium tank was the result of that visit.
         The Lyran Alliance of course tried to take the tank for their own, but Duke Kelswa successfully kept it out of their hands through some clever legal trickery. The assassination attempt on his wife, which early reports blamed the Archon for, gave Duke Kelswa the public justification to make a successful breakaway. It just happened to also keep this "Skye tank" out of Lyran hands.

         A key to the Glaive’s swift development was the re-use of existing components. The Cyclops XII large laser was formerly shipped to Tharkad for use in ’Mech manufacture, while the Kicker MGs were used in the locally built Drillson. The armor, comms and T&T systems are likewise taken from the Drillson, with the Glaive using the wraparaound video monitor, multi-sprectrum sensors, and the gunner's helmet sighting reticule that allows the gunner to, simply, look and fire with the weapons. The Skyefire LRM system is derived from the old Coventry Metalworks system that they once built under license. The secession strained relations though and Cyclops’ had to "R&D" their own system. In fact, it is a near copy of the old missiles, a fact not lost on Coventry.
         The fusion power plant of the Glaive is also produced on Skye, but its origins are somewhat unusual. A series of technical exchanges with the Shipil Company (manufacturers of almost every Skye spacecraft) lead to trials of a fighter power plant in a Cyclops chassis. Though facing a host of technical problems, the engineers persevered and eventually succeeded in making the engine work on a tank. An interesting side effect of this shared parentage is that on startup a Glaive tends to sound like a jet warming up for takeoff.

         The Glaive is a strong Skye design, though in 3079 Cyclops expanded its factory on Northwind to build the design there as well. Output from that factory is sold to units belonging to the Allied Mercenary Command. The expense of its advanced systems tends to keep it out of the price ranges of most mercenary commands though, and only the flagship mercenary units tend to use them.