Gents,
If you are still wondering about what goes inboard and what goes outboard, this is the deal. Until about five years ago, it was immaterial. Then we started having problems with rockets leaving debris in the stabilator as well as too many rockets being launched at once causing the engines to stall slightly. Resultant, the Army came out with a message that directed that rockets will only be fired from the outside pylons. That message is still in effect and was in effect starting about 99 or 2000.
I haven't seen pics of the 1-227 Avn A/H shot down vic. Karbala, but if it had three rocket pods, then that was a descision probably made by a local commander that was not in accordance with messages and Department of the Army Messages. It might have been since the unit was at war, and the on site commander felt the need to have more rockets on board, that he conciously hung them that way. That would be an exception and not the rule - as a matter of fact the only time I have heard or seen it in the last five years.
Prior to the message coming out, a lot of folks fought the aircraft with missiles outboard, one rocket pod right side inboard and an aux fuel cell left side in board. No one flys aux tanks now, except internal aux tanks. That was back in the days of "Hellfire Heavy". If you were building a kit for Desert Storm, that would be a good configuration. If you were building an OEF or OIF kit, the two rocket pods outboard, two Hellfire racks inboard would be the most accurate.
If you have any other AH-64 type questions shoot a note to me at Randallihaws@cs.com.
Good luck and hope this might help folks in the future.
RIH