"Charles Gray" wrote in message
news
Only reasonable, since you have to add stuff to an airframe to make
it carrier worthy, in addiiton to other improvements. To use it the
other way around, either all you do is take some bits off, or just
leave them as is. (I recall some German F-4's at an airshow that
still had the arresting hook.).

Are you sure the hook you saw wasn't the emergency hook for runway barrier
engagement? USAF F-4C,D,E also had those as do most/all USAF fighters
Perhaps not as substantial as on the USN models but still a heavy duty piece
of gear.

Tex