Arrestor wires
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Arrestor wires are thick steel cables fitted to the aft end of the flight deck on CTOL and STOBAR aircraft carriers. The cables allow CTOL aircraft to land safely on the short runway by connecting with a hook attached to the aircraft. When caught by a tailhook, the wire takes up the slack before pulling taut, bring the aeroplane to a dead stop. Most aircraft carriers have four wires - naval aviators receive marks for each landing, with the best mark being gained for catching the third wire (third from the front).
Before landing on board the pilot have to give the Arrestor wire operators a fuel level reading. This then allows the operators to work out the weight of the plane and from that how much tension they need to place on the wire to stop the plane.