A pivotable pylon for carrying stores, such as ordinance, sensors and pods external to an aircraft includes an elongated strongback coupled against an external surface of the aircraft and generally parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof. An elongated pivoting structure is pivotally coupled to the strongback for parallel pivotal movement relative thereto. A locking mechanism locks the pivoting structure in a selected one of a plurality of angular positions relative to the strongback. At least one stores rack is coupled to the pivoting structure for receiving and coupling at least one stores item to the pivoting structure. An aerodynamic fairing may be disposed on the pylon to decrease drag. The pylon can be mounted on either side of the aircraft and in any one of a plurality of longitudinal stations, and enables the aircraft to carry stores that are too large for its equipment bays, and to carry an optimal load of stores.