The maiden landing of the French Rafale M fighter on INS Vikrant occurred on October 29, 2026. The landing was successful in the maiden attempt and marks the first steps towards operationalisation of the aircraft in the Indian Navy.
The Indian Ministry of Defence had signed a $7.5 billion deal in April 2025 to procure 26 Dassault Rafale for the Indian Navy. This includes 22 Rafale M fighters and four Rafale DH trainer aircraft. The four twin seat trainers are not carrier capable since the Marine version does not have a twin seat trainer. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in 2029. A Rafale M equipped with the India-specific modifications was to be readied for trials in 2026.
By mid-October, a Rafale aircraft was spotted flying near INS Hansa in Goa, which also hosts India’s Shore Based Test Facility (SBTF) for testing carrier-borne aircraft. After SBTF tests, the carrier operation was attempted on India’s indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant. The specific aircraft being tested is understood to be from the Marine Nationale fleet.
Naval News understands that the fleet will feature detachable missile rails at the tip of the wings. This was a core concern since the delta wings of the Rafale M are not foldable and the wingspan exceeds the dimensions of the aircraft elevators onboard INS Vikrant. It is being reported that some small modifications are required for the elevators and some specialised systems are being installed to accommodate the fighters. Similar modifications will be required for INS Vikramaditya as well in order to operate the Rafale M.
With the development proposal for a Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) not seeing progress, the possibility of the Navy opting for further Rafale Marine aircraft in the future cannot be ruled out. The stated requirement for fighters, split between INS Vikrant and Vikramaditya, was 57 before it was trimmed to 26. Rafale M and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet were the competitors to complement and replace the MiG-29K/KUB fighters currently used by the two carriers. The Rafale M was chosen after both fighters underwent extensive trials in the SBTF in 2022.
The choice of Rafale allows commonality with the Indian Air Force (IAF) inventory of 36 aircraft. IAF is expected to order 114 more Rafales, 90 of which will be made in India. Any additional Rafale M ordered can also be expected to be Made in India.
The Rafale M procurement agreement also necessitates Transfer of Technology for integration of indigenous weapons in India. Dassault had also agreed to set up of a fuselage production facility which is being developed by Tata Advanced Systems with a capacity of two fuselages each month from FY2028. It will cater to global requirements as well. Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities are being established by Dassault for airframe support and Safran for the M88 engines. The Rafale M agreement has thus placed India in the global supply chain of the Rafale.
TEDBF as well as LCA (Navy) were part of the vision document Technology Perspective Capability Roadmap (TPCR) 2025. Naval News had reported earlier that the induction of the LCA (Navy) has been sought by many, including sections within the Navy, due to its suitability as a trainer aircraft for carrier-borne fighters. The LCA Navy prototypes have conducted multiple trials onboard both aircraft carriers in recent years.
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