Carriers do use a 4 wire system.
The number 3 wire is the target.
A 3 wire trap is a good trap .. and normally indicates an approach on glide slope and speed
On further review of the photo it looks like he caught the 2 wire, a good but not great approach. My guess is he came in gentle and maybe a tad slow. First time on a new airframe... I’d say it’s forgivable.
Target gap between wires is less than 50 ft. at about 160 knots relative air speed, on a moving platform. Just another day at work for these guys...
Before I get hate mail I looked again.
Too high for the wire in the foreground which should be the 2 wire.
So then I went and found a video.
http://theaviationist.com/2014/11/03/f-35c-lands-on-uss-nimitz/
He absolutely nailed the 3 wire. Classic carrier trap.
Don’t want anyone thinking I’m casting aspersions on the pilot.
Way cool stuff.
The new Ford class carriers, along with the USS Ronald Reagan and G.W Bush use three arresting wires.