Rolls-Royce Pegasus
The Rolls Royce Pegasus is a turbofan engine manufactured by Rolls Royce plc.Bristol Engine Company began work on the BE.53 Pegasus in 1958. The engine was designed in tandem with the Hawker P.1127 which first flew in 1960. Production and development of the Pegasus was continued by Rolls-Royce when it acquried Bristol in 1966.
The unique Pegasus engine powers all versions of the Harrier multi-role military aircraft. The engine employs a simple thrust vectoring system that uses four swivelling nozzles, giving the Harrier thrust both for lift and forward propulsion, allowing for STOVL flight. This eliminates the need for conventional runways and is a major advantage at sea, where Harriers can operate from a wide variety of ships.
- More than 1000 engines have been delivered
- More than one million operating hours logged with the Royal Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and the navies of India, Italy, Spain and Thailand
Latest and most powerful version of the Pegasus is the 11-61 which provides up to 15 percent more thrust at high ambient temperatures, allowing upgraded Harriers to return to an aircraft carrier with any unused weapons which previously had to be dumped. This and the reduced maintenance required enhance the combat effectiveness of the Harrier while cutting the cost of engine ownership.
This latest Pegasus has also enabled a highly effective radar equipped version of the AV-8 Harrier II to be introduced. This version, the Harrier II+, combines the proven advantages of day and night STOVL operations with an advanced radar system and beyond-visual-range missiles.
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