A Rafale Marine fighter jet landed on and took off from the Indian Navy’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 these fighters, mark the first steps towards operationalising the aircraft in the navy, 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. INS Vikrant currently operates Russian-origin MiG-29K fighter jets that use the ski-jump to take off and are recovered by arrestor wires, in what is known as STOBAR (short takeoff but arrested recovery) in naval parlance. India has operated aircraft carriers for decades. It is named after India’s first aircraft carrier.
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, under the ₹ 63,000-crore contract will begin in 2029 and be completed by 2031. Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned INS Vikrant into service in September 2022. It was built over 13 years at a cost of ₹ 20,000 crore. The 45,000-tonne aircraft carrier has an indigenous content of 76%. It is 262 metres long, houses 15 decks and 2,300 compartments, has enough room for 30 aircraft and a crew of 1,600, and has an endurance of 7,500 nautical miles. Vikrant is the fourth aircraft carrier to be operated by the navy after the first INS Vikrant (British origin), which was in service from 1961 to 1997; INS Viraat (British origin), which was in service from 1987 to 2016; and INS Vikramaditya (Russian origin), which has been in service since 2013. The Indian Air Force already operates 36 Rafale fighter jets bought from France at a cost of ₹ 59,000 crore. Some of the air force’s Rafales were among the fighter jets used during Operation Sindoor in early May 2025.
Twelve Rafales are expected to be built annually in India under the government-to-government deal. Discussions have been held with France regarding the localisation of the Rafales to be manufactured in India, the integration of local weapons and other India-specific requirements. On October 3, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said the air force is counting on the timely induction of the new Rafales, LCA Mk-1A and additional Sukhoi-30MKIs to shore up its fighter fleet and keep its combat squadron numbers from falling below 30, compared to a sanctioned 42.5.
The IAF could finalise the multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) contract by the end of the 2026-27 financial year. It refers to the proposed purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets from France at a cost of roughly ₹ 3.25 lakh crore. France is expected to supply 18 Rafale jets in fly-away condition, while the remaining aircraft will be made in India.
Under the MRFA model being considered, Dassault Aviation and a local partner will manufacture the Rafales in India.
