- Rafale Marine fighter jet successfully tested on INS Vikrant.
- India acquiring twenty-six Rafale Marine jets for navy.
- INS Vikrant: India’s indigenous aircraft carrier, commissioned 2022.
- IAF plans acquiring 114 more Rafale jets by 2027.
A Rafale Marine fighter jet landed on and took off from India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant for the first time on Thursday, officials aware of the matter said. The ongoing trials, ahead of the induction of the aircraft into the Indian Navy, mark the initial steps towards operationalising the fighter jets on the carrier, they said on Friday.
French pilots had earlier conducted similar trials at a shore-based test facility in Goa under a contract signed last year.
India ordered 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets from France in April 2025 for the Navy, which will operate them from its two aircraft carriers. The first deliveries of the Rafale Ms, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, are scheduled to begin in 2029 and conclude by 2031 under the Rs 63,000-crore contract.
INS Vikrant: India’s First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
INS Vikrant currently operates Russian-origin MiG-29K fighter jets. These aircraft use a ski-jump to take off and are recovered using arrestor wires, a system known in naval terminology as STOBAR (short take-off but arrested recovery).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned INS Vikrant in September 2022. The aircraft carrier was built over 13 years at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore.
The 45,000-tonne carrier has 76% indigenous content. It measures 262 metres in length, has 15 decks and 2,300 compartments, and can accommodate 30 aircraft and a crew of 1,600. It has an endurance of 7,500 nautical miles.
India has operated aircraft carriers for decades. INS Vikrant is the fourth aircraft carrier to serve in the Navy, following the first INS Vikrant, of British origin, which was in service from 1961 to 1997; INS Viraat, also of British origin, which served from 1987 to 2016; and INS Vikramaditya, of Russian origin, which has been in service since 2013. The indigenous carrier is named after India’s first aircraft carrier.
IAF’s Rafale Fleet And Proposed 114-Jet Deal
The Indian Air Force (IAF) already operates 36 Rafale fighter jets purchased from France for ₹59,000 crore. Some of these aircraft were deployed during Operation Sindoor in early May 2025.
The IAF could finalise its multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) contract by the end of the 2026-27 financial year. The proposed deal involves the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets from France at an estimated cost of around ₹3.25 lakh crore.
Under the MRFA model being considered, Dassault Aviation and an Indian partner would manufacture the aircraft in India. France is expected to supply 18 Rafale jets in fly-away condition, while the remaining aircraft would be manufactured domestically.
Twelve Rafales are expected to be produced in India every year under the government-to-government deal.
Discussions have been held with France on localising the aircraft’s production, integrating indigenous weapons and meeting other India-specific requirements.
On October 3, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said the force was counting on the timely induction of the new Rafales, LCA Mk-1A aircraft and additional Sukhoi-30MKIs to strengthen its fighter fleet and prevent its combat squadron numbers from falling below 30, against a sanctioned strength of 42.5.
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