The F15E and Israeli F15I Ra’am are missing half of the GBU38 loadout. During the dev servers both jets were allowed to have their correct 12 500lbs GBU38, now it only has 6. The upper BRUs allow for 500lbs weapons to be on those station and with there being 12 unguided free fall and high drag 500lbs bombs then there should be the same for the GBU38.
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According to the documents provided in the various bug reports, the capacity to transport 12 GBU38 only arrived on improvements to the F-15E, this change was already effective during the second opening of the Dev Server
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We have those said improvements. By the time the new engines were installed, the small diameter bomb GBU39and the f15e received aim120b, it is at that point of advancement to receive its proper loadout of 500lbs JDAMs.
With the GBU39 small diameter glide bombs, the F15E could even receive its Sniper targeting pod. So, if that is their explanation to why they limited it, then it’s completely counterproductive to add the GBU39.
Some airforce cat was explaining in the dev server forum discussion how that it could only transport off those stations. That they were missing the needed connectors to communicate with the aircraft.
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Where GBU-27 ??
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That wouldn’t make sense with the 500lbs paveways it can attach on those same stations….
Bro is asking the real questions lol
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Paveways (base versions) are for all intends and purposes dumb bombs in terms of weapon station requirements, requiring nothing special more than regular dumb bombs. JDAMs however require datalinking with the aircraft before launch in order to set the GPS coordinates, which is done through a mil-std-1760 interface, which the upper pylons ones on CFT of the F-15E lack. Apparently those only came with the F-15EX.
There are pictures and articles of F-15Es with 6 JDAMs per CFT, but if you carefully read those you will read that the upper ones are solely for transport purposes.
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Ah I gotcha. Well I appreciate you letting me know.
Gaijin could easily copy paste it from the F-117, though for now there is no real purpose over the GBU-24. Maybe next update with perhaps a SEAD gamemode? I would also just like to see the GBU-28, even more useless compared to the GBU-24 for regular use, but might be useful in the future. Also funny almost 6 meter long bomb.
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Welp, GBU-38s are useless
Question “wheres full loadout of GBU-39” will be better(you can use them at least to bomb bases)
If you had 12 GBU38s it would be 6,000lbs of bombs. Plenty enough for a base. I like taking just enough to kill one base that’s why I’d rather have 12 gbu38s than 4 GBU31s. I don’t wanna have to ripple 20 small diameter bombs that can’t even kill a base
With real value of SDB - 28 bombs, you would be able
That’s even worse. Rippling 28 bombs just to destroy one base
F-15E/I are also missing GBU-54 (500lb LJDAM) and GBU-56 (2000lb LJDAM) which should be usable in all situations the GBU-38 and 31 are employable, respectively. So are a few other planes.
Furthermore, GBU-54 (500lb LJDAM) should be employable on the dumb pylons in question as a laser guided bomb only without GPS capability.
An F-15K, as an example. Even if it lacks the MIL STD 1760 interface, the bombs 1. fit 2. would function in laser guidance mode 100% fine
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isn’t there also GBU-39 IR version of it too? i heard someone mention it long ago in the forum?
PS my bad i misunderstand it was GBU 53
Technically GBU-53 is much more than just an IR guidance mode SDB.
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F-15K has a MIL-STD-1760 interface on the upper CFT pylon. F-15E does not.
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Regardless, it doesn’t need 1760 to function in laser guidance mode as far as I can tell.
This could be done ingame very easily by creating another type of GBU-54B that’s laser guidance only, no GNSS, no IOG, similar to the restrictions placed on Brimstone from a game design perspective.
This would require no new mechanics for weapons losing capabilities when placed on certain pylons. Just GBU-54s without GPS as a separate weapon, only usable on those pylons.
Regardless of whether we want to go out on a limb and add laser only on dumb pylons (I’d like to see it but I’d understand it not happening until we get F-15K * cough * in Japan * cough * with full capability), there are several things missing.
GBU-27, which is already ingame
GBU-54, which is already ingame and should be able to be employed in place of all of the GBU-38s actually available
GBU-56, which is a 2000lb Laser JDAM and should be employable on all the pylons GBU-31 currently is.
And, finally, regular old Paveways are missing from the upper dumb pylons. So far as I can tell, it’s missing two 500lb GBU-12 Paveways on each side.
Here’s an image proving that GBU-12s can be carried on both upper and lower hardpoints right next to each other. This F-15E isn’t carrying the full load possible but this is proof it fits.
Even with a 2000lb class weapon below it, that should be possible even if it places a restriction requiring the 2000lb class weapon be dropped before this one could. That could require some more complicated coding effort.