A F-4J rearms itself from a Supply Container using its Mount Pylon in the Total Eclipse anime.
The Mount Pylon is a secondary-arm attachment for Tactical Surface Fighters that allows any machine equipped with it to carry an additional weapon or piece of equipment into battle. With the aid of automatic control, the Mount Pylon can become a third and/or fourth arm with which the TSF can fight with, albeit not to the full effectiveness of the TSF's main arms.
The Mount Pylon, like the limbs of a TSF, uses a combination of carbonic actuator and mechanical joint systems, and as such essentials like its deployment speed is dependent on the power supply and operating capabilities of the TSF it is equipped on.
In combat, they allow for a TSF to set down firing arcs in all directions, and are important for the usage of Gun Sweeper tactics. They can also be used to by a TSF to rearm from a Supply Container without distraction.
The hardpoints for Mount Pylons can be used to carry other equipment, like the ammunition box for the EML-99X Electromagnetic Induction Launcher, or drop tanks.
American Mount Pylon[]
The Mount Pylon on an F-15 Eagle.
Mount Pylon system first seen on the F-4 Phantom, the system serves as the production template for most if not all of the current Mount Pylons used to carry Assault Cannons, and is the first system with multi-stage extension capabilities that allow a TSF's spare Assault Cannons to be pointed in almost any direction. Most Mount Pylons, at least those used to hold Assault Cannons, that are produced by other nations are often direct copies of this system, at least visually.
No direct variant exists for any close combat weapon, with the closest equivalent being the Type-74's Halberd-mount.
Type-74 Mount Pylon[]
The Mount Pylons on the back of the Shiranui Second.
Imperial Japan-use Mount Pylon system, derived from the original American model which was developed at the same time as the introduction of the F-4J Phantom. Shortly after its introduction, the Type-74 was approved for localized production in Japan by the USA to streamline logistics issues.
The Type-74 Mount Pylon is a licensed Japanese production of the American system with two different variants; one is a normal system that is used to mount the Type-87 Assault Cannon used by Japanese forces, and another is a specialized variant used to hold the Type-74 PB Blade. The PB Blade is held in place by explosive locking bolts; the momentum of the explosions during the blade's deployment allows TSFs to draw the weapon faster during combat.
With the aid of automatic control, the Type-74 Mount Pylon can be used as auxiliary arms; its most common usage in this manner is to aim spare Assault Cannons that have been fire-linked to the TSF in any direction the user so requires, allowing him/her to direct a massive barrage of firepower in any direction. This is a common tactic utilized by designated Gun Sweepers in a standard TSF squadron.
The Type-74 Assault Cannon Pylon has a rudimentary auxiliary arm function that can be used to pick up ammunition magazines. This is different from its main role as a secondary arm, allowing the Pylon to deliver a fresh magazine to a TSF's main arm or reload a weapon for it, all while having full control of any gun system it currently has mounted.
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YF-23 Mount Pylon[]
Specially-designed Mount Pylon system for the YF-23 Black Widow II, this variant of the Mount Pylon is connected to the shoulder armor blocks of the YF-23 rather than on its back, like most other TSFs. Its positioning dictates that the Pylon can only pass weapons from over-the-shoulder, much like the Soviet Б-87 Mount Pylon.
The YF-23 can equip up to four Mount Pylons, allowing for it to wield up to six gun types or six of any combination of weapons as required. Unlike any Mount Pylon systems, they are uniquely universal, allowing them to hold either the YF-23's XCIWS-2B Melee Halberd or XAMWS-24 Assault Cannon.
The design and number of the Mount Pylons on the YF-23 are likely meant to alleviate the logistical problems of being deep in BETA territory, as a universal model allows the YF-23 to equip any number of Melee Halberds or Assault Cannons with no need to have a specialized variant for each, allowing it to change weapon loadouts on the field without being constrained into any one role in combat.
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Б-87 Mount Pylon[]
Mount Pylon in blue, weapons in grey, Su-37 in orange.
Soviet Union-designed system based off the American model, the Б-87 is specially designed to pass any equipped weapon over the TSF's shoulders. While most systems pass Assault Cannons under the TSF's arms, the Б-87 uses an overhead pass similar to how other Mount Pylons pass a Melee Halberd; given the nature of the melee capabilities of Soviet TSFs, such a method is safer and less obstructive for the TSF. The system is comparitively easier to maintain than other Mount Pylon systems.
There is no known variant for carrying a Melee Halberd due to the Soviets' reliance on the Blade Motor system for their close-quarter combat requirements.
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Typhoon-use Mount Pylon[]
The EF-2000 has its own distinct Mount Pylon system that functions similarly to the FN94, Type-74, and the Mount Pylon system used by the Unfied Front of China. Similarly to the aforementioned systems, it has two variants, one for for carrying the BWS-8 Flugelberte , and the other for use with the BWS-3 Greatsword.
Unlike most other systems, the Gun and Melee Halberd Mount Pylons are attached to the EF-2000's back hardpoints with the same type of connector mechanism; the mechanism allows for both types of Mount Pylons to swivel freely.
The Gun Pylon, apart from standard deployment sequences, is also designed to sling under the EF-2000's arms to allow it to perform Gun Sweeper duties. The Halberd Pylon used for the BWS-8 is designed for an over-shoulder pass; once in position, a portion of the Mount Pylon will slide forward, so as to let the TSF grab the attached weapon's hilt more quickly. The Pylon used for the BWS-3 Greatsword, however, has a system more akin to the FN94's Halberd Pylon.
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FN94[]
French-designed Mount Pylon system meant for the Rafale.
Both its Gun and Melee Halberd Pylons are similar to the Type-74's and the EF-2000's own Pylon systems. However, unlike its direct counterpart, the FN94 has different connectors to the Rafale's back hardpoints for each individual Pylon type.
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Chinese Unification Front Mount Pylon[]
Assault Cannon (background) and Melee Halberd (foreground) Mounts on a J-10X.
A model utilized by the Unified Front of China.
Like the Type-74, it has a variant of the system used for mounting their Type-77 Close Range Battle Halberd, which uses a double-joint system as opposed to the Type-74 Melee Halberd Mount's single-joint. Its Gun Pylon appears visually similar to the American model and the Japanese Type-74.
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