Mission parameters dictate what weapons loadout configuration will fill these vacancies. In practice, this means many variations and combinations of weapon classes, configurations, sizes and weights may be employed at any given time, depending upon the task at hand. In addition, to various sensors and fuel tanks sizes, the Hornet is capable of carrying and/or launching an impressive array of disposable stores and external gear. These include air-to-air missiles (AAMs), air-to-surface missiles (AGMs), freefall bombs, guided bombs, dispenser weapons, napalm canisters and ECM pods.
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The SUU-63 pylon is angled downward to allow the flaps to be fully lowered. Removable from stations 2, 3, 7 and 8, it can carry up to 2,600 lbs (1,182 kg) of certain kinds of stores. Its internal BRU-32 bomb rack can be mounted with a vertical ejector rack (VER), multiple ejector rack (MER) or triple ejector rack (TER). MERs/TERs are only authorized to carry small practice bombs, Mk 58 marine locator markers, LUU-2 paraflares, laser guided training round (LGTRs) and ADM-141 Tactical Air-Launched Decoys (TALDs). MERs/TERs loaded with Mk 82 500-lb bombs are strictly airshow loads and not used operationally. The maximum VER-mounted bombload consists of two Mk 82/83s. Otherwise, each pylon can carry only a single store from 10 to 28 inches in diameter.
