Old Viper Tester Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 A pair of VMA-311 A-4Ms on the Nellis AFB transient ramp in September 1980... BuNo 159473 Those are GPU-2/A gun pods - times four! The second Scooter, 160032, carried a rather odd, to me, load: centerline buddy refueling pod, two external tanks and two MERs... Hasegawa provides a US Navy Hi-Peg gun pod in their 1/72 Weapons Set II, but I don't think any one makes a GPU-2. Anyone know otherwise? Thanks for looking, Sven 12 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 I’ve never seen those gun pods before! You learn something every day Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackem01 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 She's going to keep everyone's head down! Was this an experimental or operational fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Viper Tester Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 35 minutes ago, mackem01 said: Was this an experimental or operational fit? If it were experimental, I would have expected the Naval Weapons Center or VX-5 at China Lake would have been flying it. They certainly had A-4Ms back then. Seeing as the Tomcats were an operational unit, I would expect it was operational. Sort of like carrying four SUU-20/23 gun pods on Phantoms, they were operationally approved loadings, but rarely used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thud4444 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 That is an crazy loadout. Thanks for the pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boman Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Nice! MER on the outer pylons dosn't have to be too strange, it all comes down to what they load on them. BDU-33 practice bomblets are still often loaded on MER for practice drops, and still well within weight limits of the pylon in question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackem01 Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 13 minutes ago, Old Viper Tester said: If it were experimental, I would have expected the Naval Weapons Center or VX-5 at China Lake would have been flying it. They certainly had A-4Ms back then. Seeing as the Tomcats were an operational unit, I would expect it was operational. Sort of like carrying four SUU-20/23 gun pods on Phantoms, they were operationally approved loadings, but rarely used. Would like to have seen it used though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 Ooh WOW!!! GIRGEOUS.... Thanx.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Viper Tester Posted March 20, 2018 Author Share Posted March 20, 2018 2 hours ago, Boman said: MER on the outer pylons dosn't have to be too strange, Wasn't thinking about the weight, but the combination of the refueling pod and the MERs. Add that to being a flight of two, and the fuel pod being used to refuel the gunslinger (because of the drag of the four gun pods?). Are the bombs, practice or otherwise, on the refueler to be used in conjunction with the guns or are they there just because? The whole thing just seems to be a very odd (or very specialized?) combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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