Arresting Gear On Aircraft Carrier That Stops Landing Fighter Jets In Two Seconds Cost $140 Million

Arresting gear on an Aircraft Carrier designed to stop landing fighter jets within three seconds cost $140 million.

It consist of several steel wire ropes laid across the landing area which catches the tailhook of a landing aircraft.

Arresting gear is made up of Arresting Cables (cross-deck pendants), Arresting Engines, Sheaves and Purchase Cables.

On U.S. aircraft carriers, the flexible arresting steel cables are removed and replaced after each 125 arrested landings.

Major systems that make up typical arresting gear are the Arresting Cables, Arresting Engines, Sheaves and Purchase Cables.

A mechanical system on aircraft carriers called Arresting Gear used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands cost $140 million, according to reports. It typically consist of several steel wire ropes laid across the landing area, designed to catch the tailhook of a landing aircraft.

Modern U.S. Navy aircraft carriers features Mark 7 Mod 3 arresting gear, which have the capability of recovering a 50,000-pound aircraft at an engaging speed of 130 knots (150 mph) in a distance of 105 metres in two seconds.

• See Also : $13 Billion USS Gerald R. Ford, Capable Of Carrying 75 Aircrafts, Is World’s Largest Aircraft Carrier

During a normal arrestment, the tailhook of the landing aircraft engages the steel wire, thereby transferring the aircraft’s kinetic energy to a hydraulic damping systems attached below the carrier deck.

The major systems that make up typical arresting gear are the Arresting Cables (also known as cross-deck pendants), Arresting Engines, Sheaves (hydraulic shock absorbers) and Purchase Cables, which connect the arresting cables to the arresting gear engines.

The arresting cables are spanned across the landing area to be engaged by the arresting hook of an incoming aircraft. On U.S. aircraft carriers, the flexible arresting steel cables are removed and replaced after each 125 arrested landings.

But, what if the aircraft fails to catch an arresting cable? If this condition known as a “bolter” happens, the aircraft will continue down the angled flight deck and become airborne again.

• See Also : Massive Cargo Planes : Inside C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster That Carries US President’s Limousines