Question about F16 loadout

[Minrah]

alright guys I got another question for you, for the load out ive notice for awhile now and not really questioned it I just figured it was just how it was. Why is it that you can only load 3 mavericks on the outer pylons and not the ones with the fuel bags go (pylons 4 and 6) I see that the MK20s do it and the MK82s but not mavericks? or GBU 39's which I think would totally fit, same with the GBU 39 and 54's. 

[Kaos]

Just guessing: clearance with landing gear and gear doors, wiring, aerodynamic interference from fuselage for certain weapons on the inner stations.

[Brain]

It's less sophisticated wiring on the inner pylons. Don't know what's so different about it but it's not compatible with 3 Mavs or a JDAM.
Similarly 'stupid' is the TER which presumably only splits incoming signals, which is sufficient for CBUs (etc) as they only need to be updated once their profile changes. That's why small JDAMs won't go on a TER but the newer BRU.

[Minrah]

thats odd, I would have thought that would configure it so it could, wouldnt you want to have more of an armament going in combat?

thanks for the info brain

[Brain]

I just did a ton of research, made a time-line in Excel and just scrapped everything I typed here so far. Now I wanna do something else. So...

But first :Fun with history

Story goes during the Vietnam War the Thanh-Hóa bridge could not be destroyed after numerous air raids and hundreds of bombs dropped. In 1972 F-4 Phantoms tried again:

Quote

 

On 27 April, twelve Phantoms of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Ubon, Thailand attacked the Thanh Hóa Bridge. Eight of their number carried laser-guided bombs. The raid was carried out without a hitch, and when the dust of the explosions had cleared it became apparent that the bridge had been dislodged from its western abutment, dropping one half into the river. To complete its destruction, a second attack was scheduled for the thirteenth of May when fourteen Phantoms were engaged, with LGBs of up to 2,000 lb (910 kg) aimed at the central pillar supporting the bridge. Once again, the attack was successful, and the "Dragon's jaw" was rendered completely unusable. The US command, however, was not satisfied, and ordered a final attack on the sixth of October.

This time, four U.S. Navy A-7s from VA-82, aboard USS America, successfully delivered 8,000 lbs of high explosives with two planes carrying two 2,000 lb (910 kg) Walleyes, while two other carried a further 2,000 lbs in Mk 84 GP bombs. In a simultaneous attack, the center piling on the bridge's west side was hit and broke the span in half. After this, the Thanh Hóa Bridge was considered permanently destroyed and removed from the target list.

 

So your initial question ultimately lead me there. I'm such a nerd. I've also been reading a lot today.

Just imagine how little range you got with 7100lbs carrying a heavy load in BMS and add some extra flight time because we don't do realistic departure patterns and such. Taking external fuel tanks for long range precision attacks was probably what they had in mind, so they didn't bother with the inner pylons.
And I think you can'T carry 3 GBUs on 1 Pylon because of risks the extending fins could hit the fuselage. Same for CBUs although the MK-20 might be small enough in diameter so there are no concerns.