F-16 pods question

[Reflected]

So the F-16 could carry 2 chin pods and the ECM pod under the fuselage. My question is: were these pods added/ removed depending on the mission of the day or were they just left attached, and even a2a missions would be flown with the pods?

 

does anyone have any real life info/ reference about this please?

 

thanks!

Edited July 6, 2022 by Reflected

[WHOGX5]

1 hour ago, Reflected said:

So the F-16 could carry 2 chin pods and the ECM pod under the fuselage. My question is: were these pods added/ removed depending on the mission of the day or were they just left attached, and even a2a missions would be flown with the pods?

 

does anyone have any real life info/ reference about this please?

 

thanks!

 

It's fully dependent on the mission at hand plus that each wing have their own SOPs and SCLs. As an example, it was very common for USAF F-16CM-50 squadrons in 2007 to have a mix of LANTIRN and SNIPER pods with a lot of pilots opting for the LANTIRN during most A-G missions like CAS due to it's wider field of view and choosing the SNIPERs for SEAD and A-A due to its better zoom and A-A capabilities. So even the TGP would be swapped out for another TGP on a per mission basis. There are also wings that require all their flights to carry ECM pods while other wings don't. I have even seen F-16s with full CAP loadouts hauling around HTS pods so anything is possible as long as someone at that particular wing thinks it's a good idea.

[Reflected]

Thanks so much for the info!