In this country, there was never any desire for such a thing; not even suspension systems (pylons) for drop loads were defined. As a result, many people may not be aware that modern fighter aircraft (pure interceptors have not existed since the 1970s) are always multi-role or multi-role aircraft.
Visual proof of this is provided by this US Navy F-18F, which comes with ten 500 kg GBU-32 JDAM guided bombs and two AIM-9X Sidewinders for self-defense (each weighing around 90 kilograms), an ATFLIR target illumination container weighing around 200 kilograms (behind the ladder) and a 1,800-litre tank at the center station. We do not know exactly how heavy the 412 20 mm shells of the M-61 cannon are, but the total payload is probably around 7.6 tons. Such a Super Hornet weighs 14.5 tons empty and has a maximum take-off weight of 30 tons. If you add 6.1 tons of internal kerosene, the four double bomb racks and the two pilots to the above payload, the carrier aircraft (the type is currently available for selection in Switzerland) is only just under 1,000 kilograms below its maximum take-off weight. When taking off from the catapult, it will probably not be possible to avoid a “Doolittle-style” sag, even at maximum thrust.
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