On which aircraft can no AIM-9 or AIM-120 missiles be jettisoned?

On which aircraft can no AIM-9 or AIM-120 missiles be jettisoned?

• A. F-16
• B. F-35
• C. F-15
• D. F-22

Answer: (A)

Jettison capability is tied to how a specific aircraft’s stores management system and mounting arrangement are designed to release weapons safely in flight. Not every fighter is configured to drop every type of stored weapon, especially missiles that are mounted on pylons or housed in bays that require particular release sequencing. On the F-16, the release system and pylon design for AIM-9 and AIM-120 are not set up to guarantee a safe, in-flight jettison of those missiles in standard configurations. In other words, there isn’t a reliable in-flight release path for dropping those two missiles from a typical F-16 setup. By contrast, the other fighters listed have jettison capability for these missiles through their respective stores management or bay release systems, allowing safe in-flight ejection when commanded. So the aircraft that cannot jettison AIM-9 or AIM-120 missiles in typical operation is the one with the F-16 configuration.

Jettison capability is tied to how a specific aircraft’s stores management system and mounting arrangement are designed to release weapons safely in flight. Not every fighter is configured to drop every type of stored weapon, especially missiles that are mounted on pylons or housed in bays that require particular release sequencing.

On the F-16, the release system and pylon design for AIM-9 and AIM-120 are not set up to guarantee a safe, in-flight jettison of those missiles in standard configurations. In other words, there isn’t a reliable in-flight release path for dropping those two missiles from a typical F-16 setup.

By contrast, the other fighters listed have jettison capability for these missiles through their respective stores management or bay release systems, allowing safe in-flight ejection when commanded. So the aircraft that cannot jettison AIM-9 or AIM-120 missiles in typical operation is the one with the F-16 configuration.