After Air Force, Indian Navy Plans To Buy Rafale Fighter Aircraft From France

Following the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Indian Navy will receive Rafale fighter aircraft from France. The Rafale was previously chosen by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for its new squadron, and now the Indian Navy is set to acquire the Rafale M to deploy on INS Vikrant.

According to French media, the two countries can sign this agreement when French President Emmanuel Macron visits India in March.

Surprisingly, the Indian Navy rejected the American F/A-18 Super Hornet in favour of the Rafale deal. The Navy tested both fighter jets earlier this year. The Defence Ministry of India received a detailed report on this trial in December. Both fighter jets were tested at the Indian Naval Station Hansa in Goa.

If defence sources are correct, the Indian Navy is about to sign a multibillion-dollar deal with France for 26 Rafale M aircraft and being hailed as a watershed moment in India-France relations.

The Rafale's manufacturer, Dassault Aviation believes the Rafale M will be suitable for the Indian Navy's warship INS Vikrant. The Rafale M is still in use by the armies of Greece, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Indian Navy believes that Rafale will better meet its needs. The Indian Navy intends to retire 43 obsolete Russian fighter jets, the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB, from its fleet. The Navy considered several aircraft names, but the final competition was between the Rafale M and the F-18. The French Navy currently operates 240 Rafale M fighter jets. Dassault began manufacturing these planes in 1986.

Both aircraft are already on advanced aircraft carriers. In this case, both jets are suitable for aircraft carriers equipped with the CATOBARs system.

The Indian Navy currently operates two aircraft carriers: the new INS Vikrant and the older INS Vikramaditya.

INS Vikramaditya is a Kyiv-class aircraft carrier of the Soviet Union which has been modernized in India. Both these warships are STOBAR aircraft carriers.