Stuff such is this is available in Afghanistan, which is then smuggled into Pakistan as scrap. By looking at the condition, it does not appear that the drop tank was actually dropped during the flight for it would have lost its shape upon hitting the ground.
Not always.
Simplified fuel management works this way...
- Main internal fuselage tank feeds engine.
- Internal wing tanks feeds main internal tank.
- External wing tanks feeds internal wing tanks.
- External centerline feeds internal main tank.
Refueling is the reverse with fuel going into the main internal and it feeds outwards.
Here is a simplified schematic applicable to all fuel system...
The scheme is called 'cascading' or 'cascade' fuel management system.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO PROVIDE COMPLIANCE WITH STRUCTURAL LOAD REQUIREMENTS FOR AIRCRAFT WITH ADDITIONAL FUEL TANKAGE - Patent application
An aircraft fuel tank system comprising: a series of multiple fuel tanks; and intercommunication conduit assemblies fluid-connecting pairs of adjacent fuel tanks in the series to establish a cascade mode of fuel flow serially from one tank to another tank in the series of multiple fuel tanks.
What this mean is that by the time the F-16 got to altitude and have been cruising for a while, the external wing/centerline tanks are pretty much empty, and if he has been maneuvering a lot, like in combat, then most likely the internal wings are empty as well.
So if an external tank, wing or centerline, is jettisoned from the aircraft, for whatever reason, it being empty mean it will retain
MOST of its shape after impact on the ground. If it has %50 or greater fuel, then most likely the fuel mass will deform the tank on impact.
The Taliban story is bogus to me. It is an external fuel tank. Not a cargo tank because of that green colored partition with a couple of holes for fuel transfer or slosh baffles. But it is an external fuel tank. Its excellent shape mean either it was jettisoned from low altitude and slow speed, or that the tank was somehow taken from storage. Am betting the latter.
They maybe are using debris of a US F-16 for propaganda purposes.
i only see drop tanks.
You are correct.