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2 clusters · 26 sources · 3 days · First seen · Last updated

India-France Rafale Marine naval integration

Overview

In late October 2026, a French-made Rafale Marine fighter aircraft successfully completed its maiden landing on the Indian Navy's indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. Operated by a French pilot, the aircraft engaged the carrier's arresting wires on its first attempt, validating its compatibility with the Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system and the carrier's ski-jump ramp.

This successful trial is a key milestone in India's plan to replace its aging Russian-built MiG-29K fleet, which has faced reliability issues and low serviceability rates. The transition is part of a 7.5 billion USD government-to-government agreement signed with France in April 2025 to procure 26 Rafale Marine jets, including 22 single-seat fighters and four twin-seat trainers. The deal also covers pilot training, simulators, weapons, and maintenance, while including technology transfers to integrate indigenous Indian weapons onto the aircraft.

Entities

France · INS Vikrant · Indian Navy · Russia · Dassault Aviation

Timeline

  1. [INTERNATIONAL] 8 sources
    India tests French Rafale M fighter on INS Vikrant aircraft carrier

    India has successfully tested the French Rafale M fighter jet on the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier, marking a move to replace unreliable Russian MiG-29K jets.

  2. [INTERNATIONAL] 19 sources
    Rafale Marine fighter successfully lands on India's INS Vikrant

    A French Rafale Marine fighter successfully completed its first landing on India's indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, marking a major step toward its integration into the Indian Navy.

Sources

aresdifesa.it · armees.com · aviacionline.com · avionslegendaires.net · bairdmaritime.com · defence-industry.eu · defence.in · defencestar.in · forcesoperations.com · fr.businessam.be · frenchweb.fr · giaoducthoidai.vn · goemkarponn.com · indiandefensenews.in · indiastrategic.in · indomiliter.com · news18.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · opex360.com · planobrazil.com · soha.vn · tfipost.com · thecommunists.org · timesnownews.com · tiscali.cz · wwj.co.jp