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| ''Pegasus''-Class Assault Landing Craft |
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| Fast Facts |
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| Ship Type | Assault Landing Craft |
| Class: | Pegasus
''(White Base shown)'' |
| Launched: | Universal Century 0079 |
| Class Fate: | Discontinued in favor of Ra Cailum Class Battleship |
| General Characteristics |
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| The general characteristics of this class vary on a ship to ship basis; as such it is not possible to give statistics for the class as a whole. Specific characteristics for the ''Pegasus''-class ships can be found on each ships' respective page. |
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In the fictional universe of
Mobile Suit Gundam , the was the first ship of the
Earth Federation to be designed around
Mobile Suit Carrying . These Assault Carriers are functionally equivalent to the modern day
Aircraft Carrier , as their primary function is to launch and recover mobile suits. Because of this, ''Pegasus''-class ships enjoy more freedom on the battlefield, since they do not have stick in packs for protection against enemy
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 Gun s for protection. 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
Earth .
Unlike the other of the Federation's ship classes of the time, the ''Pegasus''-Class is not so much a single class as a concept; as 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 the ''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 MSC (Mobile Suit Carrier) whether it had survived the war or not.
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:
- The base ''Pegasus'' design, repeated on ''White Base'' and ''White Base Jr.'',
- A modified Flight I design, seen on ''Thoroughbred'' and ''Blanc Rival'', mostly similar but flatter in shape,
- New external design, included two additional catapults, a new laser propulsion system and generally improved armament, not completed until postwar
- Actually completed before Flight III, an improved Flight II design.
Because of their practicality, several future class incorporated similar design features and/or similar concepts in their construction:
