Pegasus-Class Assault Landing Craft

In the fictional universe of Mobile Suit Gundam, the "Pegasus"-Class Assault Landing Craft was the first ship of the Earth Federation to be designed around a capacity to carry mobile suits (MS). These Assault Carriers are functionally equivalent to an aircraft carrier, as their primary function is to launch and recover mobile suits.

Since "Pegasus"-class ships carry their own MS with them at all times they are somewhat less dependent on their main guns and anti-aircraft guns for protection and they enjoy more freedom on the battlefield, as they do not have operate in close consort with other ships for mutual protection against enemy mobile suits. All "Pegasus"-class ships are also equipped with a Minovsky Craft System which enable ships in this class to enter and exit the earth's atmosphere; additionally, the craft system allows for these Assault Carriers to float by creating a barrier between the carrier and the ground.

Unlike the other Federation ship classes of the time, the "Pegasus"-class is not so much a single class as a concept; rapidly advancing technology swiftly changed both the internal arrangement and external appearance of the "Pegasus"-class ships. Only the first three units ("Pegasus" SCV-69, "White Base" SCV-70, and "White Base Jr." SCV-71) were completed to the original plans. After "White Base Jr.", technology was advancing so quickly that each subsequent "Pegasus"-class cruiser looked significantly different, though each had the same general arrangement of a central hull with two large aft thruster blocks, two wings, and two forward mobile suit launching "legs." The overall design looked like a sphinx or a winged horse, giving the class its name.

After the One Year War, every ship was redesignated as Mobile Suit Carrier (MSC) whether it had survived the war or not.

In the novels, the class is White Base Class and the flagship is called the Pegasus.

hips of the class

To a practiced eye, no two ships of the Pegasus class are alike. The advancing technology of the war resulted in drastic changes that severely affected the external appearance of the ships. However, four distinct flights appeared:
*Flight I: The base "Pegasus" design, repeated on "White Base" and "White Base Jr.",
*Flight II: A modified Flight I design, seen on "Thoroughbred" and "Blanc Rival", mostly similar but flatter in shape,
*Flight III: New external design, included two additional catapults, a new laser propulsion system and generally improved armament, not completed until postwar
*Flight IV: Actually completed before Flight III, an improved Flight II design.

List of ships of the class

* SCV-69 Pegasus
* SCV-70 (LMSD-71) White Base
* SCV-71 White Base Jr.
* SCV-73 Blanc Rival
* SCVA-72 Thoroughbred
* SCVA-73 Troy Horse
* LMSD-76 Gray Phantom (ex-Troy Horse)
* SCVA-74 (MSC-06) Stallion
* MSC-07 (LMSD-78) Albion

Derivatives

Because of their practicality, several future class incorporated similar design features and/or similar concepts in their construction:

* "Argama"-class cruiser (Grypps Conflict)
* "Nahel Argama"-class battleship (First Neo-Zeon War)

Alternate Universe Counterparts

* The Archangel class assault ship from Gundam SEED borrows many elements from the Pegasus Class in a clear homage to the original series

ee also

*Mobile Suit
*List of Mobile Suits
*RX-78 mobile suit series
*Minovsky Physics

External links

* [http://www.mahq.net MAHQ]
* [http://www.geocities.com/gundam_uc0079/index.html The World-Wide Gundam Informational Network]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060219065351/http://www.geocities.com/gundamships/Mainpage.html Gundam Naval Museum]
* [http://side7.gundam.com/rgz/info/uc_ship.html Library of Londonion (ship names & fates)]