The model provided by -the manufacturer- correction NAVAIR (thanks OP!), stated that the cable will bounce up after having been hit by the landing gear. Thus the hook design made sense. The cable jumps up and over the hook. Plane arrested.
Instead, again as the article states, the cable is actually being pressed tightly against the flight deck and the elevated hook nose makes the entire hook get thrown up in the air when drawn over the tight cable, back towards the plane and would even destroy some parts of the monitoring mechanisms, so violently did that happen.
They also provide the new design, which is basically the old design and that is also why the techs that saw the new hook for the very first time (and know about the cable I presume) instantly said "That ain't gonna work!".
Even if two different aircraft have the same space constraints for the hook (which is a pretty big if), they have different mass and deceleration characteristics (i.e. minimum and maximum approach velocity) during landing- changing the force exerted on the hook. Designing a lighter hook for the lower loaded aircraft is VERY desirable for high tech fighter jets- every ounce saved is better range, better agility, etc.
As far as the little lip at the very tip of the hook- it looks to me like the initial design was trying to minimize any risk of digging into the flight deck and causing damage- this is just a guess though.
Due to the planes and to the rest of the tailhook (the shank, etc.), they could hit at different angles, speeds, etc. That's just a guess, however.
Each plane costs ~$100 million and the entire program will cost over $1 trillion when it's done. Performance needs are extreme: They need to land in all sorts of adverse, imperfect conditions - damage to the plane, the carrier, the wire, the personnel; bad weather; bullets and missiles flying around. It seems worthwhile to design the highest-performing tailhook for this plane, rather than to save a few bucks.
Also, IME people doing something this sophisticated don't miss those really simple, obvious issues that we happen to be able to observe and grasp from the outside.
jtriangle|2 years ago
tharkun__|2 years ago
The model provided by -the manufacturer- correction NAVAIR (thanks OP!), stated that the cable will bounce up after having been hit by the landing gear. Thus the hook design made sense. The cable jumps up and over the hook. Plane arrested.
Instead, again as the article states, the cable is actually being pressed tightly against the flight deck and the elevated hook nose makes the entire hook get thrown up in the air when drawn over the tight cable, back towards the plane and would even destroy some parts of the monitoring mechanisms, so violently did that happen.
They also provide the new design, which is basically the old design and that is also why the techs that saw the new hook for the very first time (and know about the cable I presume) instantly said "That ain't gonna work!".
It's all in there.
mech987987|2 years ago
As far as the little lip at the very tip of the hook- it looks to me like the initial design was trying to minimize any risk of digging into the flight deck and causing damage- this is just a guess though.
wolverine876|2 years ago
Each plane costs ~$100 million and the entire program will cost over $1 trillion when it's done. Performance needs are extreme: They need to land in all sorts of adverse, imperfect conditions - damage to the plane, the carrier, the wire, the personnel; bad weather; bullets and missiles flying around. It seems worthwhile to design the highest-performing tailhook for this plane, rather than to save a few bucks.
Also, IME people doing something this sophisticated don't miss those really simple, obvious issues that we happen to be able to observe and grasp from the outside.