Drag index of a store is a shorthand way of 

estimating the drag of a store at a typical cruise mach number.

The basic airplane has a drag index, and each piece of added equipment (pylons, tanks, bombs, pods, etc)
had a drag index. When all the drag indexes (indicies??) are added, the complete configuration drag index is
found.

The drag on a body is drag coefficient x dynamic pressure x reference area, or D = Cd x q X S. To get the total
configuration drag, you could look up the Cd for each item (store, pylon, pod, basic airplane), look up the
reference area for each item, calculate the drag on each item, than add all the drags together. A simpler
way is to use the same reference area for all elements, add all the coefficients (drag indexes) together, and
calculate the total drag.

There should be a list of store drag indexes somewhere in the stores TOs, but if you can't find it or if the
store isn't listed, all is not lost.

A drag index for a clean F-16 is the drag coefficient at 0.8 mach using the reference area of the F-16 (300 sq.
ft.). So what is a drag coefficient? Using a clean F-16 as an example, say the drag at 0.8 mach, sea level, is
8000 pounds.

D = Cd x q x S

so Cd = D / qS

D = 8000 lb
q at .8 sea level is 947 lb/ sq ft
S = 300 sq ft

so Cd = 0.0282

The basic airplane drag index would be 282, because it is more convenient to use whole numbers instead of
all those decimal places.

To calculate a drag index for a store, first you have to find its drag coefficient based on it's cross section
area. That information (Cd) may be difficult to find, but the manufacturer should be able to give it to you. If
that fails, then use 0.15 for pointy store (Mk-82) or .20 for a blunt store (AGM-65) as a good estimate for Cd.
Then calculate the Cd based on the F-16 reference area, 300 sq ft.

Cd (F-16 ref area) = Cd x (store cross section area / 300 sq ft). This value, after removing the 4 decimal
places, is the store drag index.

Another way to estimate a store drag index is to find another store of similar shape, and use its drag index
multiplied by the ratio of the store cross section areas. For example a Mk-84 and a Mk-82 have similar shapes.
If you know the -84 drag index, (DI-84), you can estimate the DI-82 :

DI(82) = DI(84) x Area (82) / Area (84)

I apologize if I've gone into more detail than you wanted.

Drag index is of course referenced to the wing area of the aircraft on which it is being
carried, so the drag index of a MK-82 on an Eagle will be different than on a Viper. This
was mentioned but not emphasized.