The original Hornet was designed in an era before precision guided munitions became common. Note that both the F-16 and F-18 are very accurate with 500lb dumb bombs.
The jets design thoughts also didn't include electro-optical pods. When these started appearing on the aircraft it was an after-thought.
So here we have another addition to the asymmetric config F-18 photo album which includes USN and RAAF classic and Supers.
When you put the E/O pod on the left waste, its field of view is very limited if you carry a drop tank on the left wing. Lots of left turns too, around the target. So drop tank on right wing and centerline and no left drop tank because it blocks the pod's field of view. With, apologies to the center-barrel fatigue police who try and avoid hanging a center tank unless necessary to extend the life of the jet. For Canada, that hope and dream is out to 2025.
Canada uses the PANTERA/SNIPER E/O pod.
CF-18 Middle-East ops from the last few days.
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