It is non-tapered. FHT is Female Hose Thread commonly used for washing machines and garden hoses. Everyone has a different rating but all will take at least the maximum allowed by most codes, which is 80psi at 140 degrees. These are all top quality flexible connectors. I'm used to using copper connectors on my water heater.
Most water heaters are steel.
Stainless steel is a far better metal to use between copper, galvanized or non-metal piping and a steel tank. Easy to install, durable and the prices aren't much different than the old type of copper flexes. The electrical characteristics of alloys seem to make them a bit less prone to dielectric action than pure metals such as copper or iron. The alloy materials don't prevent the results of dielectric action, they just spread it over a greater area. There is less corrosion build up at the point of connection as we see when a copper adapter fitting is attached to a galvanized nipple.