[Red_Devil 232]

Now the pilot can’t eject the center line fuel tank when it is empty?

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Obama will give orders for all center tanks to be dropped when empty. How else are the Ruskies, Chinese and Iranians going to get long-range passive detection technology?

[pfflier]

Or when the pilot needs to engage in air combat maneuvering????

[Steely Tom]

Now the pilot can’t eject the center line fuel tank when it is empty?

Of course he can.

He just swipes his credit card using the conveniently located cockpit reader. His account will be charged $18,000,000 and - once authorization is received - he can release the tank.

[ThunderSleeps]

Oh, he can drop the tank, he’s just going to have some ‘spanin to do. Hey, he will get a nice greeting/thank you card from Lockheed.

[Freeport]

Just what I was thinking. Why not incorporate it into the airframe? Yes there's a slight aero drag penalty, but with all the rest of the stuff hanging out in the slipstream, it would be negligible since all the electronics, except for the sensor head, would be internal to the aircraft.

Yes, it's a more expensive option and requires airframe modifications to retrofit, but if I got in a dog fight, It'd be the first thing to go!