The Indian Navy (IN) is conducting trials of Dassault Aviation’s Rafale Marine fighter at its Shore-Based Test Facility (SBTF) in Goa, as it prepares to introduce the aircraft into service from its aircraft carriers.
The trials are taking place at INS Hansa, where the SBTF replicates the ski-jump ramp used by India’s aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.
Both carriers are configured for short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) operations, in contrast to the French Navy’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is configured for catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery operations.
The Rafale M was originally designed for carrier operations from catapult-equipped carriers.
Dassault participated in similar trials at the SBTF in January 2022, when the Rafale M was evaluated alongside Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for the IN’s requirement for a Multi-Role Carrier-Borne Fighter.
India and France eventually signed an inter-governmental agreement in April 2025 for the procurement of 26 Rafale M aircraft. The package comprises 22 single-seat aircraft and four twin-seat aircraft, plus it includes training, a simulator, associated equipment, weapons and performance-based logistics support.
Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by 2030.
The agreement, valued at INR630 billion (US$7.4 billion), includes integration of indigenously developed Indian weapons and the establishment of a Rafale fuselage production facility in India. It also covers maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons.
Indian Rafale M aircraft will operate off India’s aircraft carriers alongside existing Russian-built MiG-29K carrier-borne fighters.
by Atul Chandra
