Definition: (DOD, NATO) Any device intended for internal or external carriage and mounted on aircraft suspension and releaseequipment, whether or not the item is intended to be separated inflight from the aircraft. Aircraft stores are classified in twocategories as follows:
a. Expendable store--An aircraft store normally separated from the aircraft in flight such as a missile, rocket, bomb, nuclear weapon, mine, torpedo, pyrotechnic device, sonobuoy, signal underwater sound device, or other similar items.
b. Nonexpendable store--An aircraft store which is not normally separated from the aircraft in flight such as a tank (fuel and spray), line-source disseminator, pod (refueling, thrust augmentation, gun, electronic attack, data link, etc.), multiple rack, target, cargo drop container, drone or other similar items.
See also payload.
