A Rafale Marine fighter aircraft successfully landed on board the Indian Navy's indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant on its maiden attempt on Thursday. The event marks a significant step towards the operationalisation of the aircraft in the Indian Navy.
The Indian Navy revealed the successful landing and shared visuals of the flight on its social media account.
The ongoing trials are part of the operationalisation of the Rafale Marine (Rafale-M) fighter jets, which India is procuring from France to strengthen its carrier-based aviation capabilities.
The trials come ahead of the delivery of 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets that India ordered from France under a defence agreement signed in April 2025.
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 earlier 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, as it features reinforced landing gear and a tail hook to support carrier-based operations.
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, manufactured by French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.
Deliveries are expected by the end of 2028 or early 2029.
Once inducted, the aircraft will be capable of operating from both INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya.
The Rafale-M is equipped with the Thales RBE2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and SPECTRA electronic warfare suite. The fighter can carry MICA and Meteor air-to-air missiles, SCALP-EG air-to-ground missiles and Exocet AM39 anti-ship missiles.
