Rafale Marine Jet Lands On INS Vikrant In First Trials

A Rafale Marine fighter jet has successfully landed on and taken off from the Indian Navy carrier INS Vikrant for the first time. Officials shared that these trials took place on Thursday as a key step toward adding the jets to the navy fleet.

Purchase Details

India ordered 26 Rafale Marine jets from France in April 2025 for the navy to run from its two aircraft carriers. Built by Dassault Aviation, the order comes under a ₹63,000-crore contract. Deliveries will start in 2029 and finish by 2031. French pilots also ran similar tests at a shore facility in Goa under a deal signed last year.

Carrier Specs

INS Vikrant currently uses Russian-origin MiG-29K jets that take off using a ski-jump and stop with arrestor wires. Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned the 45,000-tonne carrier in September 2022 after 13 years of work costing ₹20,000 crore. The ship has 76% local parts, measures 262 metres, features 15 decks and 2,300 rooms, holds up to 30 aircraft, takes a crew of 1,600, and has a range of 7,500 nautical miles.

Fleet History

Vikrant is the fourth aircraft carrier in Indian naval history. The navy earlier flew the first British-built INS Vikrant from 1961 to 1997, INS Viraat from 1987 to 2016, and INS Vikramaditya which joined in 2013. Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force already flies 36 French Rafale jets bought for ₹59,000 crore. Some of these jets flew during Operation Sindoor in early May 2025.

Future Plans

The air force might close a deal for 114 more Rafale jets worth about ₹3.25 lakh crore by the end of the 2026-27 financial year. Dassault Aviation and a local partner would build these jets in India, with France supplying 18 ready planes and the rest made locally at a rate of 12 per year. Talks have also covered adding local weapons and custom changes. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh noted on October 3 that timely new jet arrivals will help keep combat squadron numbers above 30 against a target of 42.5.

Context

Naval aviation trials like these are essential to check how a new combat jet handles the limited deck space and motion of an aircraft carrier at sea. Bringing new jets into service also helps modernise India's defence forces and builds stronger industrial ties with foreign aerospace makers.