French Rafale M Fighter Completes First Landing on India's Navy INS Vikrant Aircraft Carrier.

A French Rafale M fighter jet has completed an arrested landing aboard India’s Navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, followed by a takeoff from the ski-jump-equipped ship. The trials advance ship-aircraft compatibility testing as India prepares to introduce the French naval fighter and strengthen its carrier aviation capabilities in the Indian Ocean.

A French Rafale M fighter conducts an arrested landing aboard India’s INS Vikrant during carrier-compatibility trials, marking a step toward integrating the aircraft into Indian Navy carrier operations. (Image source: Indian Navy)

The French Rafale M landed aboard INS Vikrant aircraft carrier on October 29, 2026, and the Indian Navy announced the achievement the following day. The service said the aircraft landed on its first attempt and described the ongoing trials as an initial step toward operational introduction. The Aviationist reported on October 31 that the fighter subsequently took off from the carrier, publishing an image credited to the Indian Navy.

The shipboard activity follows shore-based carrier-compatibility testing in Goa. Moving onto Vikrant allows engineers and flight crews to assess aircraft behavior in the carrier’s operating environment. The landing and departure demonstrate specific test achievements; they do not establish delivery of India’s contracted aircraft, completion of qualification or operational readiness.

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Ski-Jump Launches Require a Separate Operating Envelope

The central engineering issue is the difference between the Rafale M’s established operation from France’s catapult-equipped Charles de Gaulle and Vikrant’s ski-jump arrangement. Both carriers use arrested recovery, but their launch methods impose different requirements. On Vikrant, the fighter must accelerate under its own power before leaving the upward-curving ramp.

The operational question therefore extends beyond whether the aircraft can take off. Qualification must establish the combinations of fuel, weapons, wind over the deck and launch conditions that permit safe departures with useful mission loads. A successful launch under one set of conditions does not establish performance across the full envelope.

Dassault publishes a Rafale maximum takeoff weight of 24.5 tonnes and a maximum external load of 9.5 tonnes. These aircraft specifications are not demonstrated ski-jump launch limits for INS Vikrant and should not be interpreted as the loads carried during the trials.

India’s 26-Aircraft Purchase Includes Naval Fighters and Support

India and France signed an intergovernmental agreement on April 28, 2025, for 26 Rafale aircraft for the Indian Navy, comprising 22 single-seat carrier fighters and four twin-seat trainers. Valued by the Indian government at approximately ₹63,000 crore, the package includes weapons, simulators, pilot training, associated equipment, and long-term support. The purchase is intended to strengthen carrier aviation while India develops its indigenous Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter, or TEDBF.

The Rafale M, with “M” standing for Marine, is the single-seat naval version of Dassault Aviation’s twin-engine multirole fighter. Designed for aircraft carrier operations, it incorporates reinforced landing gear to withstand demanding deck recoveries and an arresting hook that engages the carrier’s wires to stop the aircraft. Its established service aboard France’s Charles de Gaulle provides carrier-operating experience, while compatibility with India’s ski-jump-equipped carriers requires separate qualification. The four twin-seat trainers in India’s order are intended for shore-based training and are distinct from the 22 carrier-capable single-seat fighters.

For the Indian Navy, the aircraft is intended to perform fleet air defense, maritime strike, reconnaissance, and attacks against shore targets. Its RBE2 active electronically scanned array radar supports detection and tracking, while the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite contributes to threat awareness and self-protection. The Indian government identifies Meteor and MICA air-to-air missiles, the Exocet AM39 anti-ship missile and the SCALP-EG cruise missile among the Rafale’s weapon capabilities. Their availability for particular Indian carrier missions will depend on the contracted configuration, integration work and clearance of the relevant launch loads.

At the agreement’s signing, India’s Ministry of Defense stated that deliveries would be completed by 2030, with personnel training in France and India. The package includes performance-based logistics, technology transfer for integrating indigenous weapons, and provisions for Rafale fuselage production and maintenance facilities for engines, sensors, and weapons in India. These arrangements are intended to establish domestic industrial support alongside the aircraft acquisition.

The ministry also identified commonality with the Indian Air Force’s Rafale fleet as an opportunity to optimize training and logistics. Shared support experience could ease the introduction of the naval aircraft, although carrier qualification, deck procedures and maintenance at sea remain specialized requirements.

French-made Rafale M Supports the Transition Beyond Russian MiG-29K Operations

India’s carrier fighter force operates MiG-29K/KUB aircraft from INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. The Rafale acquisition introduces another fighter type as the navy prepares its longer-term aviation structure. The Indian government describes the French aircraft as an interim capability while TEDBF is developed, helping sustain naval air power during that transition.

The acquisition does not establish an immediate replacement schedule for the entire MiG-29K fleet. Introducing Rafale M requires trained pilots and maintainers, qualified weapons, spare parts, shipboard support arrangements, and approved operating procedures. The transition must therefore be assessed through operational readiness and aircraft availability as well as delivery numbers.

A multirole carrier fighter must protect its naval group while retaining the ability to conduct missions beyond the ships’ immediate defensive perimeter. The balance between defensive patrols and strike operations will depend on the number of serviceable aircraft, weapons integration and the fuel and weapons loads cleared for ski-jump departures.

Aircraft Carrier Air Power Underpins India’s Indian Ocean Presence

The Rafale M purchase forms part of India’s effort to sustain a capable naval force across the Indian Ocean. India operates two aircraft carriers and has demonstrated coordinated operations involving Vikrant and Vikramaditya alongside other ships, submarines and aircraft. Carrier aviation provides a mobile source of air cover and strike capability that can accompany naval forces beyond the immediate reach of shore-based fighters.

India’s Ministry of Defense identifies protection of sea lines of communication, surveillance, air defense and sea control among the functions supported by carrier groups. Once qualified and supported, Rafale M could strengthen the navy’s ability to protect deployed warships, intercept threatening aircraft and conduct maritime strike missions. These are prospective operational contributions rather than capabilities established by the current trials.

Maintaining two carriers also offers planning flexibility. In principle, one ship can support deployments while the other undergoes maintenance or training, although actual availability depends on refit schedules, escorts, logistics and trained air wings. Acquiring modern fighters addresses one essential component of that wider force structure.

This investment complements India’s regional security activities. The navy conducts mission-based deployments, maritime surveillance, coordinated patrols and exercises with partner countries across the Indian Ocean. Stronger carrier aviation would add combat capability to that wider presence, while patrol vessels, submarines, maritime patrol aircraft and information-sharing arrangements remain essential to sustained maritime security.

Deck Integration Will Determine Sustained Combat Output

The remaining operational assessment reaches beyond launch and recovery. Aircraft elevator clearance, movement between hangar and flight deck, parking arrangements, maintenance access, and weapons handling all influence how effectively a carrier can employ its fighters. The reported milestone does not provide detailed results for those areas.

For India, the landing on INS Vikrant marks a demonstrated step toward operating Rafale M from its domestically built carrier. The eventual military value of the purchase will depend on the mission loads the aircraft can launch with, the conditions in which it can recover, and the rate at which the ship can repeatedly generate armed sorties. Those measures will determine how effectively the investment supports fleet protection, maritime strike, and a sustained Indian naval presence in the region.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.