The Indian Navy has started trials of the Rafale Marine fighter aircraft in Goa to assess modifications required for operating the French-made jets from the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, following a major defence procurement agreement signed with France.

The Indian Navy has started trials of the Rafale Marine fighter aircraft in Goa to assess modifications required for operating the French-made jets from the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, following a major defence procurement agreement signed with France.

The Indian Navy has started trials of the Rafale Marine fighter aircraft in Goa to assess modifications required for operating the French-made jets from the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, following a major defence procurement agreement signed with France.

The Indian Navy has begun conducting trials of the Rafale Marine fighter aircraft in Goa to assess modifications required for operating the French-made jets from India's indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.

The trials come ahead of the delivery of 26 Rafale Marine (Rafale-M) fighter jets that India ordered from France under a defence agreement signed in April 2025. The aircraft are expected to be delivered by the end of 2028 or early 2029.

The trials are focused on the modifications necessary to enable the Rafale-M to operate from INS Vikrant, which will be one of the two Indian aircraft carriers capable of deploying the fighters, news agency ANI quoted defence sources as saying.

The Indian Navy is procuring the aircraft to strengthen its carrier-based aviation capabilities and improve its ability to conduct air defence, maritime strike and other combat missions at sea.

Unlike conventional fighter aircraft operating from land-based airfields, carrier-based jets must be capable of taking off and landing on aircraft carriers operating at sea. The Rafale-M is specifically designed for such operations. The aircraft features reinforced landing gear and a tail hook to support carrier-based operations.

The 26 aircraft being procured from France will eventually be capable of operating from both INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, expanding the Navy's carrier-based fighter capabilities.

India signed an agreement with France in April 2025 to procure 26 Rafale Marine fighter aircraft at an estimated cost of Rs 63,000 crore. The order comprises 22 single-seat fighters and four twin-seat aircraft.

The agreement marks India's first acquisition of the naval variant of the Rafale fighter jet, manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.

Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028 or early 2029.

Once inducted, the Rafale-M aircraft will strengthen the Indian Navy's fighter fleet and enhance the combat capabilities of its aircraft carriers.

The Rafale-M is a multirole combat aircraft developed specifically for operations from aircraft carriers. It is designed to perform a range of missions, including air superiority, reconnaissance, ground attack and anti-ship operations.

In terms of avionics, the Rafale-M is equipped with the Thales RBE2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which provides advanced target detection and tracking capabilities. It also carries the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, designed to improve situational awareness and survivability in hostile environments.

The fighter can carry several types of weapons, including MICA and Meteor air-to-air missiles, SCALP-EG air-to-ground missiles and Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles.

The Rafale-M has a maximum speed of Mach 1.8, approximately 1,912 km/h, and can operate at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet.

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