Hi, I wanted to create this post because I have one question: could the F/A-18E receive the BOL countermeasure pods that the F-15C Golden Eagle can equip? (or any other countermeasure pod)
If anyone could provide some information about this, I would greatly appreciate it, since I have no idea whether the F/A-18E would be able to mount these additional pods on its hardpoints. These are the pods I am referring to:
If the BOL pods could be added, I think their inclusion could be balanced in three different ways.
The first way to balance this addition would be to make the BOL pods available only on the hardpoints that can carry just one missile. This way, you would essentially get the BOL pods at no additional cost, but you would only be able to carry two of them.
The second way to balance them would be to make the BOL pods available only on the four inner hardpoints, while limiting those hardpoints to carrying only one missile. This would create a trade-off: you could either equip two missiles or one missile alongside a BOL pod. This would allow players to choose between the two options depending on their playstyle.
(The AIM-7Ps are equipped in the image to show what it would look like if BOL pods could be selected on all four inner hardpoints.)
The third and final way to balance them would be to allow BOL pods to be carried on all six of the F/A-18E’s hardpoints. This would probably be the least likely option, but it would allow the aircraft to carry two BOL pods on the hardpoints that can carry only one missile. If you wanted to equip more BOL pods, you would have to sacrifice one missile on each hardpoint where you chose to mount one.
I know this is mostly a “what if” suggestion, but I’m curious if anyone has more concrete info on whether the F/A‑18E could physically support pods like these, or if there are any known limitations that would rule this out.
