F-35C Arrestment Pic

An F-35C test aircraft successfully catches a wire during testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., in December 2013.

Something is screwy with this tailhook story.  Check out this blurb from USNI News on the tailhook

Lockheed and the Joint Strike Fighter program office ultimately traced the problem back to the shape of the hook and a faulty wire dynamics model supplied by the Naval Air Systems Command. The solution was to reshape the hook point and adjust the system’s hold-down damper, which helps prevent the hook from bouncing around upon touchdown.

NAVAIR isn't that sloppy.  Meanwhile check this out from the X-47 program which also experienced a faulty tailhook...

The team at FRCSW did not hesitate when asked to redesign this instrumental X-47B component. Within a few weeks of receiving the initial request from the UCAS team, the FRC signed a formal work order July 10, anticipating the
manufacturing and shipping process would take up to one month.
The UCAS and FRC teams worked together to overcome a series of complications to ensure the hook points were completed as quickly as possible. For example, machining the first steel part took longer than expected. As a result, the FRC made an investment in a more efficient machine to decrease cycle times.
In less than two months, despite the design challenges, the UCAS team received the completed parts from FRCSW in early August, avoiding costly delays and allowing the team to proceed with aircraft testing. Since then, the X-47B successfully engaged the arresting gear with the redesigned hook point during three separate roll-in arrestment tests.

The X-47 experienced a similar issue and the problem was solved in a couple of months.

The issue with the F-35 has lingered for almost a year and we still aren't sure if its solved.

Of course I could be reading all this wrong.

Check out the USNI News story here.
Read the NAVAIR X-47 story here.