India Confirms Rafale-M Aircraft's Selection for its Navy

The Indian Government has finally purchased 26 French Rafale-Marine deck-based combat aircraft for its Navy.

Dassault Aviation said, “This decision comes after a successful trial campaign held in India, during which the Navy Rafale demonstrated that it fully met the Indian Navy’s operational requirements and was perfectly suited to the specificities of its aircraft carrier.”

These new Rafale jets will eventually join the 36 Rafale already in service with the Indian Air Force. India will become the first country to make the same military choice as France by operating both versions of the aircraft.

The twin-engine Rafale-M is intended for India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, the 45,000 tonne INS Vikrant, which was commissioned last year. It will replace the country’s old 43-strong MiG-29K fleet. This French jet edged out U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet in a direct contest to equip the Navy with deck-based fighters. Rafale and F-18 are both fit for aircraft carriers equipped with CATOBARs system. Indian Navy’s INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya are STOBAR aircraft carriers.

The Rafale M can carry up to 9.5 tonnes of weapons, fuel tanks and pods on 13 external hardpoints, and is capable of low-level, high-speed penetrations to evade enemy radar. The aircraft’s configuration of the payload, including weapons and fuel tanks, depends on the range of carrier-launched strike raids and factors in that a pilot landing back on the carrier in bad weather or at the end of a demanding mission may need more fuel.

Several refinements help the pilot trap (arrested landing of the aircraft) on board a carrier in safety, including a dedicated approach symbology in head-up display and a power management system.

The Rafale M fighters are being imported as an interim measure to meet the navy’s requirements until India develops its own twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF). The first prototype of TEDBF could make its maiden flight by 2026 and be ready for production by 2031.