A mod to add APKWS and GBU-54 JDAM functionality to the F-16C Viper and the F/A-18C Hornet.

This mod breaks IC.

UPDATE: 07.10.2025 (v1.1) - Added side-by-side racks for APKWS to more closely resemble IRL images of F-16s carrying APKWS. Also added the capability to carry APKWS on inner F-16 pylon stations 4 & 6 increasing its total APKWS loadout from 28 to 56.

UPDATE: 07.15.2025 (v1.2) - Corrected launcher display names in the mission editor and rearm/refuel window.

UPDATE: 07.17.2025 (v1.3) - Added the option for the F-16 to carry three APKWS launchers per TER on stations 3, 4, 6 & 7 increasing its total APKWS loadout capacity to 84.

UPDATE: 07.17.2025 (v1.4) - Removed the BRU-33 for side-by-side APKWS carry on the Viper and replaced it with side-be-side carry on the TER. Added the option for the F-16 to carry a single APKWS launcher on the center TER attach point on stations 3, 4, 6 & 7. All stations should now allow for single, double or triple launcher loads on the TERs.

My intention with this mod was to give both the Hornet and Viper APKWS and LJDAM capability without it being excessively clunky or horribly unrealistic and without eliminating any already existing capabilities of either aircraft or replacing an entire weapon globally within the game. Also, I wanted the weapons to be selectable from the drop-down menus in the rearm/refuel window and in the mission editor.

I think this mod accomplishes that for the most part, although it is not without a handful of limitations.

For both airframes the GBU-54 LJDAMs are only available in the dual-rack configuration. This allowed me to add them without overwriting the GBU-38 entirely… which would have had implications across numerous airframes in the game. If you’re familiar with how the F-15E deals with GBU-54s, the implementation and operation is very similar. Both aircraft here will recognize them as GBU-38s on their respective weapons pages and function as such unless a laser with the proper laser code is detected by the bomb, in which case it will follow the laser to impact instead of the previously designated target coordinates. The only minor drawback is that there is no method of changing the laser code in-flight like you can with some other airframes. However, I was able to add the option to change the code in the rearm/refuel window on the ground or in the mission editor prior to mission launch just as you would with a standard LGB.

Due to some necessary trickery to allow the modules to recognize the new bombs, the dual-rack GBU-54s will replace the existing dual-rack GBU-38s for both aircraft. I added a new dual-rack GBU-38 option for both, so no weapon options were lost at all. The only impact is that existing preset loadouts for the Viper and Hornet that happen to include the old dual-rack GBU-38s will now appear as dual-rack GBU-54s. So those preset loadouts would need correcting to the new dual-rack GBU-38 as well as any missions that incorporate dual-rack GBU-38s as part of their default load (single GBU-38s are unchanged).

For APKWS a similar method was used. The APKWS will appear as M151 (HE) and M151T (MPP) respectively on the F-16 SMS and as 68S for both versions on the Hornet stores page. The biggest limitation is the inability to alter the laser code. Unfortunately, you’re stuck using the default 1688 code. Again, in order to make the modules recognize the new weapons, I replaced the existing standard dual-rack M151 HE and WTU-1/B (Viper) and the single-rack M151 HE and MK5 HEAT (Hornet). New dual-rack standard options were made for the Viper to ensure no loss of weapons capability. For the Hornet, it was easier to simply replace the single-rack loadouts entirely with the dual-rack APKWS. The standard dual-rack options still exist, so again, no weapons capability was lost, just two fewer single-rack rocket options are available on the Hornet.

A couple other important items of note... both GBU-54s and APKWS require manual lasing. The autolase does not recognize either one on either aircraft, so all lasing with these new weapons needs to be done by hand. For APKWS, the Viper needs to be placed in MAN release mode in order to use the TGP with the rockets.

And that’s about it. This mod is OvGME ready, so it’s very easy to enable and disable if/when it’s necessary to return to a normal configuration. If you prefer you can replace the game files manually, just follow the existing folder structure to determine the proper locations to place the new files.

If you are currently using any other mods that modify the F-16C.lua, FA-18C_hornet.lua, common_bombs.lua or rockets.lua… this mod will generate a conflict and the other mods will need to be disabled for this mod to work.