Hardpoint
A hardpoint is an attachment location on a structural frame designed to transfer force and carry an external or internal load. The term is usually used to refer to the mounting points (more formally known as a weapon station or station) on the airframe of military aircraft that carry weapons (e.g. gun pods and rocket pods), ordnances (bombs and missiles) and support equipments (e.g. flares and countermeasures, targeting pods or drop tanks), and also include hardpoints (also known as pylons) on the wings or fuselage of a military transport aircraft, commercial airliner or private jet where external turbofan jet engines are often mounted.
This article is about aircraft hardpoints. For wooden workbench hardpoints, see Workbench (woodworking). For the anti-ballistic missile, see Hardpoint (missile defense).Pylon[edit]
A pylon serves to connect the frame of an aircraft to an item or object that is being carried; hence, it is an adaptor.[3] The use of a pylon is necessary to clear the carriage item of control surfaces as well as prevent undesired disturbance of the flow of air toward the wing. Pylons are usually designed to be aerodynamic to reduce air resistance (drag). There are many different forms, sizes and designs of pylons distinctly termed accordingly like a wedge adaptor or stub wing pylon.
Stealth aircraft like the F-22 or F-35 can use jettisonable pylons to retain stealth and reduce drag.
While most pylons are part of a modular system which is compatible with numerous stores, certain weapons and aircraft can require special pylons or adapters to carry a specific load. For example, in the Vietnam War, the "Wild Weasel" defense suppression version of the F-105 Thunderchief, the F-105G, could carry the usual AGM-45 "Shrike" anti-radiation missile on a standard pylon and launcher, but the newly developed AGM-78 Standard ARM required a specially designed and unique "LAU-78/a" launcher which was unique to that missile.