ito21

It's a limitation of the aircraft. Treat the CFT like a MER that only has 3 smart capable pylons

That lower loadout picture is not even possible though. A) can't mix weapons on CFTs B) can't have 3x65s and weapons on the CFTs. (At least the uppers iirc) you can clearly see why in the picture

So if it needs constant lasing how do you employ it when doing a loft style attack? Like other LGBs in that type of attack you would need to delay the lase so it doesn't try correcting too early and fail to reach the target. I guess my request is to double check with your SMEs on the subject cause from the sounds of it, it sounds like a misunderstanding of how the weapon works.

Wouldn't noise jamming (which I presume is what the AI is doing with being told to always jam) be easier to see vs a normal radar contact?

The JFS start does not change between the GE engines. Pratts add a 60 sec motoring period. So for the GEs the starts should match relatively closely regardless if it's a GE 100 or 129. Also seeing the post before depending on the year of the video it's more than likely been through the upgrade process and is on par with the 40s and 50s in USAF service (plus being a guard jet it might have other upgrades not seen in the active duty fleets yet). Do agree though. The JFS shouldn't start to spin till the doors are fully open and should only close upon spinning down to a certain % speed.

Not necessarily. Pods come with different features so while yes it's going to be loaded by the jet in it's displays, each pod will be slightly different due to the different capabilities of each.