Originally Posted by UAL T38 Phlyer

1. Which airplane will use a particular weapon is often a matter or either system compatability, or pure physical size. An F-15E is almost double the gross weight of an F-16. Both can carry 500 and 1000 lb bombs, but I don't think (not positive) the F-16 can carry 2000-pounders. I think the special "Bunker-Buster" bombs were in the 4000 lb range..too heavy to carry under just one wing, and no ground clearance to put it under the centerline of an F-16.

2. Systems compatibility: During Desert Storm, only the F-15E could carry a laser-designator as a strap-on store. The F-111F and F-117 had them built-in. Later, that bolt-on capability was wired in to F-16s (I think just Block 40s; not sure about 50s).

3. It's not the defensive capability, it's the offensive.

4. Sometimes "which jet, which bomb" may also be decided by issues such as range and payload (ie, you can put the bomb on the plane, but can it carry enough fuel to get there and back?), accuracy (Probability of Kill, or Pk...the estimate of how effective your weapon will be), or survivability (we need two engines because it's a long distance and there is a sandstorm enroute that could trash an engine, or we want the single-engine jet because it has a smaller radar cross-section, and is less likely to be detected/hit).