A gripping and locking arrangement for an aircraft movable component such as a flap door or undercarriage comprises a piston and a piston rod operative as a means for sensing a closing movement of the flap door or undercarriage, and also operative automatically actively to pull same by means of a closing hook into a position in which it is to be locked. The arrangement includes a locking member displaceable within the piston to move lock elements into a locking position and to hold them in the locking position until the arrangement receives a hydraulic pressure signal for causing lowering of the flap door or undercarriage, and the locking member is then displaced whereby the lock elements move into a release position. The hydraulic oil pressure can then act on the piston to produce displacement thereof into a position in which the closing hook releases the flap door or undercarriage component.