I've been speaking to some RN folks about the cats and traps options for CVF. Understandably HM Treasury has a strong desire not to spend money abroad if at all possibly. A decision on the cats will not be made until the EMCAT system has been scaled up and fully tested. The arrestor system is more interesting. In theory, the EMCAT technology allows you to do both, but only the launch system has made it off the drawing board.
We do have a major player in this space in the form of Mc Taggart Scott. They are no longer in the catapult business but they do still make arrestor gear.
MacTaggart Scott - Engineering Innovation. - - -
Perhaps an updated version of the system fitted to the old Ark isa low risk, low cost option?