In article ,
Ed Rasimus wrote:

Chad Irby wrote:

I know there were a couple of cases in Vietnam where F-4s made hard
enough turns to rip the ECM pods off...

Gotta wonder about that, since ECM pods were routinely carried in the
Sparrow missile wells. Can't imagine a situation in which the pods
suspension gear would fail. Don't say it couldn't, simply that I doubt
it.

The missile well adapter was only held on by four moderate-sized bolts,
and I could see quite a few situations where the whole assembly would
pull right out. I had to swap the MWAs out on a regular basis when I
was at George AFB. They kept launchers in that left-front spot until
the regs forced to exercise with the pods.

I also seem to remember at least one case where one of the hooks on an
MWA cracked, and the pod came back in being held by the rear lug only...

In 250 combat missions, 150 over NVN where high threat evasions were
most likely, I never, not even once, heard of a structural failure nor
of an inadvertent separation of any piece of equipment off an
aircraft. I'm not saying it couldn't have, simply that I doubt it.

Even when the thing was in good shape, I could see one or more bolts
giving way under a hard maneuver, taking the rest of them out too.

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