Midweek Sortie 30: The Pegasus Takes Flight—Vertically

With four swiveling nozzles and Cold War urgency behind it, the Pegasus transformed the Harrier from strange experiment into the fighter that could rise without runways.

The Pegasus powers the Harrier aircraft, providing full Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) capabilities, which eliminates the need for conventional runway.

—Rolls-Royce

An AV-8B Harrier flies behind an aerial refueling plane above Africa in preparation for taking on fuel during an aerial refueling exercise Nov. 18, 2013. The 13th MEU is deployed with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group as a theater reserve and crisis response force throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (USMC)

In a misty Cold War airfield, its cracked runways scarred by the threat of bombs and first strikes. Back then, the law was ironclad: no runway, no fighter jet, no hope. Sleek machines, grounded by a single crater. But then, out of the clouds of convention, soared the Rolls-Royce Pegasus.