Single AMRAAMs

[Kang]

Perhaps in this world of missile spam nobody else cares much, but:

It used to be that you could select single AIM-120s on the wing pylons of the Hornet and it would be mounted to the pylon directly. In the current version, though, in the same scenario you end up with a twin rack that is just half-loaded.

This begs the question: is this realistic and intended? It seems to me the pylon itself should be sufficient.

[Swift.]

The real hornet cant mount single LAU-127s directly to the pylon. The way it is now, where the LAU-127 mounts onto a LAU-115 and then onto the pylon, is correct.

[Kang]

Alright, fair enough. Just struck me as odd when I saw it. Guess the 'original' pylon is meant for AIM-7s only then (as far as missiles are concerned).

[Swift.]

16 minutes ago, Kang said:

Alright, fair enough. Just struck me as odd when I saw it. Guess the 'original' pylon is meant for AIM-7s only then (as far as missiles are concerned).

Yeah AIM-7s can mount directly to the LAU-115. So where an AMRAAM needs to go Pylon>LAU-115>LAU-127>AIM-120. Sparrow can go Pylon>LAU-115>AIM-7

[Bunny Clark]

They "fixed" this on the Super Hornet, but apparently even the USN didn't think at first that there was any reason to carry a single AMRAAM on a wing station. The Swiss Legacy Hornets can mount single AMRAAMs to a pylon, but they use different pylons with much more limited A/G stores options.