Diagram of the available pylons with adjustable loadouts for an A-164 Wipeout
Dynamic loadouts is a feature added to ArmA 3 at the same time as the Jets DLC. It allows air vehicles to be given different loadouts in the Eden editor. While the old vehicles and weapon systems have retained the same names, some new vehicles and weapon systems have been added, and functionality has been changed with the new sensors system.
Weapon systems (alphabetical)
AMRAAM C
Medium-range radar-guided AA missile. Max lock-on range is about 11 km.
A single hit will consistently destroy targeted aircraft. The AMRAAM C can miss as a result of chaff/flares, but merely using sharp turns is rarely effective against it.
Available on:
- A-149 Gryphon (8 max)
AMRAAM D
Medium-range radar-guided AA missile. Max lock-on range is about 13 km, although typical lock-on range is closer to 9 km.
A single hit will consistently destroy targeted aircraft. Like the C variant, the AMRAAM D can miss as a result of chaff/flares, but merely using sharp turns is rarely effective against it.
Available on:
- F/A-181 Black Wasp II (14 max; 6 max for stealth variant)
ASRAAM
Short-range heat-seeking AA missile. Max lock-on distance is about 4 km.
Available on:
- A-164 Wipeout (10 max)
- AH-99 Blackfoot (6 max)
- A-143 Buzzard (6 max)
- AH-9 Pawnee (2 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (2 max, AAF variant only)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (2 max)
- PO-30 Orca (2 max)
- WY-55 Hellcat (2 max)
BIM-9X
Short-range radar-guided AA missile. Max lock-on range is 4 km.
Note that the BIM 9X tends to consistently miss targets which move perpendicular to its direction of travel. Simply making a sharp turn into a perpendicular direction to the missile can very frequently cause it to miss even without deploying countermeasures.
A single hit will typically destroy any air vehicle, but occasionally a second hit is required.
Available on:
- A-149 Gryphon (8 max)
- F/A-181 Black Wasp II (10 max; 2 max for stealth variant)
BL778
Cluster bomb. It can be laser guided to a target. Some aircraft are able to load two-rack versions instead of a single bomb. It's exceedingly effective against infantry and lightly armored vehicles, but does no damage to tanks. Some of the cluster munitions may remain unexploded (called UXO, or unexploded ordinance) and can pose a hazard to any infantry or lightly armored vehicles which are passing through the area. Averages at 2-4 pieces of UXO per bomb.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (2 max)
- A-149 Gryphon (2 max)
- A-164 Wipeout (10 max)
- F/A-181 Black Wasp II (6 max; 2 max for stealth variant)
- K40 Ababil-3 (2 max, AAF variant only)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (2 max)
- UCAV Sentinel (2 max)
CBU-85
Cluster bomb. Can be optionally laser guided to a target. Has an optional two-rack variant that can only be loaded by certain aircraft. It's exceedingly effective against infantry and lightly armored vehicles, but does no damage to tanks. Some of the cluster munitions may remain unexploded (called UXO, or unexploded ordinance) and can pose a hazard to any infantry or lightly armored vehicles which are passing through the area. Averages at 2-4 pieces of UXO per bomb.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (2 max)
- A-149 Gryphon (2 max)
- A-164 Wipeout (8 max)
- F/A-181 Black Wasp II (4 max; 2 max for stealth variant)
- UCAV Sentinel (2 max)
DAGR
Heat-seeking high explosive air-to-ground missile which can be laser-guided. Relatively low damage, but comes in pods of 12. Max range for a lock-on is 3 km.
Notes:
- The Pawnee does not have the appropriate sensor systems to make use of the laser-guidance option, so it can only target vehicles which have warmed up from engine or weapon usage.
- Rapid barrages on a single target may not be ideal as the smoke from the first missile to hit will obscure the view for subsequent missiles.
- DAGRs do not perform well when they need to change directions suddenly. A fast-moving vehicle making sharp turns will be a poor target for DAGRs. Similarly, if the aircraft launching the DAGRs is moving quickly relative to the target and firing at close range, the DAGR may not be able to properly compensate for the change in direction.
- Line-of-sight is necessary for DAGR targeting and guidance, so smoke countermeasures combined with small movements can very effectively counter inbound DAGR missiles.
6 DAGR missiles can destroy a tank from the rear. Depending on where they hit, up to 24 missiles may be needed to destroy a tank from the front. Despite poor performance against armored targets, a single missile can destroy an armored car or truck, or destroy a landed helicopter or jet.
Available on:
- A-164 Wipeout (120 max)
- A-143 Buzzard (72 max)
- AH-99 Blackfoot (48 max)
- MQ-12 Falcon (48 max)
- AH-9 Pawnee (24 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (24 max, AAF variant only)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (24 max)
- PO-30 Orca (24 max)
- WY-55 Hellcat (24 max)
DAR
The DAR is an unguided high explosive rocket. They come in groups of 12 in rocket pods. Unlike most other rockets, these are fired in full-auto mode at 24 rockets per second, allowing pilots to easily create massive barrages from a safe standoff distance.
Only 1-2 direct hits from a DAR is required to destroy armored cars and trucks. However, a barrage of about 20-30 missiles directly hitting a tank from the side is required to potentially destroy it.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (72 max)
- A-164 Wipeout (120 max)
- AH-9 Pawnee (24 max)
- AH-99 Blackfoot (48 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (24 max, AAF variant only)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (24 max)
- MQ-12 Falcon (48 max)
- PO-30 Orca (24 max)
- WY-55 Hellcat (24 max).
Falchion-22
Short-range heat-seeking AA missile. Max range is roughly 9,000 metres. The Falchion-22's effectiveness is widely variable; sometimes requiring up to four hits to bring down a target.
Available on:
- A-164 Wipeout (10 max)
- A-143 Buzzard (6 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (2 max, AAF variant only)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (2 max)
GBU-12
500 lb. laser-guided bomb.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (2 max)
- A-149 Gryphon (2 max)
- A-164 Wipeout (4 max)
- F/A-181 Black Wasp II (8 max; 2 max for stealth variant)
- K40 Ababil-3 (2 max, AAF variant only)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (2 max)
- UCAV Sentinel (2 max)
KAB 250 LGB
500 lb. laser-guided bomb.
Available on:
- To-201 Shikra (5 max; 1 max for stealth variant)
KH25 AGM
Air-to-ground missile.
Available on:
- To-201 Shikra (5 max; 1 max for stealth variant)
LOM-250G
500 lb. laser-guided bomb.
Available on:
- Mi-48 Kajman (4 max)
- Y-32 Xi'an (4 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (2 max, CSAT variant only)
- To-199 Neophron (2 max)
Macer
Heat-seeking air-to-ground missile. Max range is roughly 6,000 meters.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (2 max)
- A-164 Wipeout (20 max)
Macer II
Heat-seeking air-to-ground missile. Max range is roughly 6,000 meters.
Available on:
- A-149 Gryphon (6 max)
- F/A-181 Black Wasp II (6 max; none for stealth variant)
- UCAV Sentinel (4 max)
Minigun 6.5 mm
Comes with 2,000 rounds of ammo, fires at 80 rounds per second.
Does absolutely no damage to tanks. Works well against infantry, shreds tires effectively, and can be used to take out drivers while causing minimal damage to the vehicle they're in.
Available on:
- PO-30 Orca (1 max)
Mk-82
Unguided bomb.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (2 max)
- A-164 Wipeout (4 max)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (2 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (2 max, AAF variant only)
RBK-500F
Cluster bomb. Can be laser guided to a target. Unlike other cluster bomb models, it does not have a two-rack variant. It's exceedingly effective against infantry and lightly armored vehicles, but does no damage to tanks. Some of the cluster munitions may remain unexploded (called UXO, or unexploded ordinance) and can pose a hazard to any infantry or lightly armored vehicles which are passing through the area. Averages at 2-4 pieces of UXO per bomb.
Available on:
- To-199 Neophron (6 max)
- To-201 Shikra (5 max; 1 max for stealth variant)
- Y-32 Xi'an (4 max)
- Mi-48 Kajman (4 max)
R73 Archer
Short-range air-to-air missile.
Available on:
- To-201 Shikra (8 max; 2 max for stealth variant)
R77 Adder
Medium-range air-to-air missile.
Available on:
- To-201 Shikra (10 max; 4 max for stealth variant)
Sahr-3
Short-range AA missile.
Available on:
- K40 Ababil-3 (2 max, CSAT variant only)
- Mi-48 Kajman (4 max)
- To-199 Neophron (10 max)
- Y-32 Xi'an (4 max)
Sharur
Heat-seeking air-to-ground missile.
The Sharur has a very large blast and can destroy all ground vehicles and most buildings in a single hit.
Available on:
- To-199 Neophron (10 max)
- Y-32 Xi'an (4 max)
Shrieker
Unguided air-to-ground rocket. It comes in rocket pods in groups of seven, with both high explosive (HE) and armor penetrating (AP) variants available.
Shrieker AP requires about 10-15 direct hits to destroy a tank from the side. Shrieker HE requires about 35-40 direct hits to destroy a tank from the side.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (42 max)
- A-164 Wipeout (70 max)
- AH-9 Pawnee (14 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (14 max, AAF variant only)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (14 max)
Scalpel
The Scalpel ATGM is a heat-seeking air-to-ground missile which can be laser-guided. Max lock-on range is 6,000 meters. Depending on the vehicle and the pylon, the Scalpel is available in single, 3×, and 4× missile racks, allowing some aircraft to carry huge numbers of them. For example, the A-164 Wipeout can carry up to 30 Scalpel missiles.
Depending on where it hits, a single Scalpel missile can easily destroy a tank. In general, Scalpels work better at medium to long ranges. This is because they may not have time to correct for the movement of the vehicle which fired them if at short range, causing them to hit slightly off target. If the Scalpel is given room to correct, it will aim for the tank's weak spot - its turret. It can reliably take out a tank even from the front in one shot if it's given enough starting height to strike through the roof of the tank turret.
Note that line-of-sight is necessary for Scalpel targeting and guidance, so smoke countermeasures combined with small movements can very effectively counter inbound Scalpel missiles.
Note that using countermeasures can be quite tricky as both the MQ4A Greyhawk and the MQ-12 Falcon flying at an altitude of 2,000 m are both essentially small enough to be invisible to the naked eye, even though they could still be well within comfortable firing range with their Scalpels.
Available on:
- A-164 Wipeout (30 max)
- AH-9 Pawnee (2 max)
- AH-99 Blackfoot (6 max)
- Mi-48 Kajman (16 max)
- K40 Ababil-3 (6 max)
- MQ4A Greyhawk (6 max)
- MQ-12 Falcon (12 max)
- PO-30 Orca (2 max)
- To-199 Neophron (24 max)
- WY-55 Hellcat (8 max)
- Y-32 Xi'an (16 max)
Skyfire
Unguided air-to-ground high explosive rocket. It comes in rocket pods with 19 rockets per pod. Similar to the DAR, Skyfire rockets are fired in a fully automatic mode, and roughly at the same firing rate of about 24 rockets per second.
Like the DAR, only 1-2 direct hits are required to destroy armored cars and trucks. Unlike the DAR, destroying a tank only requires about 12-20 direct hits.
Available on:
- K40 Ababil-3 (38 max, CSAT variant only)
- Mi-48 Kajman (76 max)
- PO-30 Orca (38 max)
- To-199 Neophron (152 max)
- Y-32 Xi'an (76 max)
Tratnyr
Like the Shrieker, the Tratnyr is an unguided missile which comes in both high explosive (HE) and armor penetrating (AP) variants. Tratnyr rockets come in pods of 20. If loaded on both sides of an aircraft, the rockets will be fired in pairs.
Available on:
- K40 Ababil-3 (40 max, CSAT variant only)
- Mi-48 Kajman (80 max)
- To-199 Neophron (160 max)
Twin Cannon 20mm
Stationary-mounted 20mm high-explosive cannon.
Able to immobilize tanks by damaging their treads, but unable to destroy tanks.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (1 max)
- Mi-48 Kajman (4 max)
- PO-30 Orca (2 max)
- WY-55 Hellcat (2 max)
Zephyr
Radar-guided anti-aircraft missile. The description calls it a long-range missile, and in practice the range seems to be limited to about 7 km. Note that this is the longest-ranged missile on any non-Jets DLC aircraft.
Available on:
- A-143 Buzzard (6 max)