JATO
![America's first](/Images/godic/202502/06/First_JATO_assisted_Flight_-_GPN-2000-0015385300.jpg")
![A German Walter Starthilfe liquid-fueled RATO pod](/Images/godic/202502/06/Walters_5005300.png")
![LC-130 cargo plane RATO takeoff from snow](/Images/godic/202502/06/-JATO_takeoff_from_snow,_Hercules,109th_Airlift_Wing.ogv5300.jpg")
JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off), is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term JATO is used interchangeably with the (more specific) term RATO, for rocket-assisted take-off (or, in RAF parlance, RATOG for rocket-assisted take-off gear).