I always wondered what the down angle protrusions were on older aircraft carriers. I was thinking it gave them a little more runway before splash. :) I didn't know that they used cable bridles on older aircraft like the F-4 and the protrusions were there to catch the bridles as the aircraft launched. Newer carriers use a bar that attaches the nosewheel to the catapult shuttle, and therefore don't need the bridle catcher at the end.
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