RE: Functional Drop Tanks
You're talking about actually dropping them, right? Probably not a good idea, primarily because you don't know for sure when/if they are empty to drop them. However, making drop tanks that actually hold fuel (and that are not actually dropped in-flight - more like an auxiliary tank - i.e., centerline tanks on an F-16, F-15, F-18, etc.) is done all the time and works well...
Bob