Should be two-seat trainer variant. Our order is split between 22 Rafale M and 4 Rafale B trainers. Don't think any Rafale M will arrive in this year or before 2027, IMO.
Rafale M of Indian Navy - Updates & Discussions
- Thread starter Picdelamirand-oil
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During the signature of deal, there was some news about leasing twin seater immediately..
And 5 years instead of usual 3 years for the delivery.. i thought since it's M model Dassault makes it together with order of French navy..
Leasing/ purchasing immediately will help us make standard operating procedures and training for the actual delivery of 26 Rafales.
Especially the lift part.
Will also help in designing next aircraft carrier.
You signed on April 28, 2025 => First Rafale in 2028.
Rafale M Fighter Jet to land on INS Vikrant this year ahead of Indian Navy induction; India and Australia deepen maritime ties
A French Rafale M fighter jet will conduct its first landing on INS Vikrant later this year as India prepares for the induction of 26 carrier-based fighters from 2028.
www.etnownews.com
A Rafale M fighter jet will land on the deck of INS Vikrant, India's newest aircraft carrier, before the end of this year, marking a significant milestone in India's preparations for the induction of 26 Rafale M fighters it is acquiring for the Navy at a cost of $7.5 billion. While the aircraft will be French and the pilot will be French, the landing forms part of the First Flight Campaign, a structured preparatory exercise ahead of the actual delivery of the fighters beginning in 2028.
The First Flight Campaign and What It Means
The First Flight Campaign is one of two preparatory exercises being planned as part of the transition process before Indian Navy pilots begin flying the Rafale M from Indian carriers. The Second Flight Campaign is scheduled for early next year. Together, these exercises are designed to validate the compatibility of the Rafale M with INS Vikrant's deck, test arresting gear systems, assess approach and landing profiles and build familiarity with the operational environment before Indian pilots and aircraft arrive.To facilitate the FFC, the Navy is modifying INS Vikrant, the 43,000-tonne carrier commissioned in 2022, to accommodate the Rafale M's specific requirements. The modification process reflects the engineering work needed to prepare India's homegrown carrier for what will eventually be its primary fixed-wing strike aircraft.
The Rafale M Deal and the Timeline
India signed the contract for 26 Rafale M fighters, including twin-seater trainer variants, in 2025. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2028, with the full complement expected to be with the Navy by the end of that year. Dassault, the French manufacturer, will be involved in training Indian pilots and technical personnel well before the first aircraft arrives, with the flight campaigns forming an important part of that extended preparation process.
Can we operate both carriers on Western front? I really don't think we need a carrier for eastern seaboard for most cases as we can blockade Malacca strait from Andamans in case of war with China.Rafale M Fighter Jet to land on INS Vikrant this year ahead of Indian Navy induction; India and Australia deepen maritime ties
A French Rafale M fighter jet will conduct its first landing on INS Vikrant later this year as India prepares for the induction of 26 carrier-based fighters from 2028.
A Rafale M fighter jet will land on the deck of INS Vikrant, India's newest aircraft carrier, before the end of this year, marking a significant milestone in India's preparations for the induction of 26 Rafale M fighters it is acquiring for the Navy at a cost of $7.5 billion. While the aircraft will be French and the pilot will be French, the landing forms part of the First Flight Campaign, a structured preparatory exercise ahead of the actual delivery of the fighters beginning in 2028.
The First Flight Campaign and What It Means
The First Flight Campaign is one of two preparatory exercises being planned as part of the transition process before Indian Navy pilots begin flying the Rafale M from Indian carriers. The Second Flight Campaign is scheduled for early next year. Together, these exercises are designed to validate the compatibility of the Rafale M with INS Vikrant's deck, test arresting gear systems, assess approach and landing profiles and build familiarity with the operational environment before Indian pilots and aircraft arrive.
To facilitate the FFC, the Navy is modifying INS Vikrant, the 43,000-tonne carrier commissioned in 2022, to accommodate the Rafale M's specific requirements. The modification process reflects the engineering work needed to prepare India's homegrown carrier for what will eventually be its primary fixed-wing strike aircraft.
The Rafale M Deal and the Timeline
India signed the contract for 26 Rafale M fighters, including twin-seater trainer variants, in 2025. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2028, with the full complement expected to be with the Navy by the end of that year. Dassault, the French manufacturer, will be involved in training Indian pilots and technical personnel well before the first aircraft arrives, with the flight campaigns forming an important part of that extended preparation process.
On the other hand, we are almost sure to see another war on the western seaboard in a few years.
It also puzzles me why we have chosen to station our more modern carrier, INS Vikrant, which will be getting Rafales first on eastern seaboard instead of western seaboard. Rafale-M INS vikrant would create nightmare for PAF on the western front.
The Rafale M arrives with more than just an arresting hook and reinforced landing gear; it comes with an entire carrier-landing ecosystem designed around French and Western procedures—including the optical landing system, glide-slope logic, cockpit symbology, flight control laws, trajectory-holding aids, flare criteria (or rather, the lack thereof), and the use of deck data.Rafale M Fighter Jet to land on INS Vikrant this year ahead of Indian Navy induction; India and Australia deepen maritime ties
A French Rafale M fighter jet will conduct its first landing on INS Vikrant later this year as India prepares for the induction of 26 carrier-based fighters from 2028.
A Rafale M fighter jet will land on the deck of INS Vikrant, India's newest aircraft carrier, before the end of this year, marking a significant milestone in India's preparations for the induction of 26 Rafale M fighters it is acquiring for the Navy at a cost of $7.5 billion. While the aircraft will be French and the pilot will be French, the landing forms part of the First Flight Campaign, a structured preparatory exercise ahead of the actual delivery of the fighters beginning in 2028.
The First Flight Campaign and What It Means
The First Flight Campaign is one of two preparatory exercises being planned as part of the transition process before Indian Navy pilots begin flying the Rafale M from Indian carriers. The Second Flight Campaign is scheduled for early next year. Together, these exercises are designed to validate the compatibility of the Rafale M with INS Vikrant's deck, test arresting gear systems, assess approach and landing profiles and build familiarity with the operational environment before Indian pilots and aircraft arrive.
To facilitate the FFC, the Navy is modifying INS Vikrant, the 43,000-tonne carrier commissioned in 2022, to accommodate the Rafale M's specific requirements. The modification process reflects the engineering work needed to prepare India's homegrown carrier for what will eventually be its primary fixed-wing strike aircraft.
The Rafale M Deal and the Timeline
India signed the contract for 26 Rafale M fighters, including twin-seater trainer variants, in 2025. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2028, with the full complement expected to be with the Navy by the end of that year. Dassault, the French manufacturer, will be involved in training Indian pilots and technical personnel well before the first aircraft arrives, with the flight campaigns forming an important part of that extended preparation process.
The Vikrant has a different heritage: Indian carrier aviation rooted in the MiG-29K, involving equipment and practices that are partly Russian. Even though the aircraft carrier is Indian, its operational culture differs from that of the Charles de Gaulle. An optical landing system (or "mirror") provides the pilot with glide-slope information during the final approach; if the geometry, calibration, "ball" reference, margins, or display differ, the pilot-aircraft interface and procedures must be adapted. Fundamentally, an OLS is designed to provide the pilot with glide-path information during the final landing phase.
Consequently, a specific adaptation for the Indian Rafale M may be required—likely involving software or procedures rather than structural changes, yet critical nonetheless. There must be perfect alignment between what the pilot sees on the mirror, the aircraft's indications, the landing aid's calculations, and the standards deemed acceptable by the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) or deck controller.
The F4 standard is significant. It introduces a modern landing aid—often compared conceptually to the US "MAGIC CARPET" system—designed to reduce pilot workload during the final approach by facilitating precise trajectory control. MAGIC CARPET was developed specifically to simplify carrier landings and drastically cut the number of corrections needed during the approach. While the Rafale system is not necessarily identical, the underlying logic is comparable: helping the pilot maintain a stable and safe landing trajectory. However, for the Vikrant, this landing aid must be recalibrated for a different environment:
- the optical glide slope specific to the aircraft carrier;
- the actual position of the optical landing system (OLS) relative to the arresting wires;
- the target touchdown point on the deck;
- the geometry of the ski-jump and the island superstructure;
- the ship's wake turbulence;
- the characteristics of the arresting wires;
- Indian Landing Signal Officer (LSO) procedures;
- and likely specific STOBAR flight profiles.
Therefore, the landing of the French Rafale M on the Vikrant is not merely a political photo opportunity. It is a complex integration process involving the aircraft, its landing aid system, the Indian optical landing system, the arresting wires, the deck, and the operational procedures. A successful outcome will significantly mitigate technical risk ahead of the arrival of the Indian Rafale Ms in 2028.
Carriers are just floating airbase. You want to keep your main airbase far from enemy surprise attack.
Just imagine, Pakistan launch a massive surprise attack, most of radars and SAM systems are switched off in peace time, it's too costly to keep them running without use.
And if a saturation attack happened when Vikrant and Vikramaditya are in low safety state, may be around shores , at night then there is possibility to damage them both so that they remain out of action for entire war.
Infact, Russia loosed so much of their warships to ukraine only because they did not expected the attack, and crew were very casual about the safety of ships due to non existance ukrainian navy.
Hence its better to keep better carrier out of reach of enemy.
Anyways we need carriers when war has been extended, only to blockade the western opening of Pakistani coast line.
Hence Vikrant will have more than enough time to go from east to west.
And we may have kept Vikramaditya in west to maintain a deterrence posture , power projection and speed to act in conflict.
Integrating Rafale on the Vikramaditya is gonna be a monumental task, given that its carrier landing system is entirely Russian supplied (except the onboard optical landing system which we have managed to indigenize).
You couldn't just replace part of its combat system (Resistor-E precision approach radars, etc) without affecting other radars or systems. What do you think?
We are not going to adapt the aircraft carrier to the Rafale; we are going to adapt the Rafale to the aircraft carrier.
Perhaps you should find out how it works, before saying the Rafale is 'me too'
As well as manned aircraft, It was the tech for automated landing for drones, They had to put in a variable error code, because it was hitting the same spot on the deck and would cause damage over time