Indian Navy is conducting trials of the Rafale Marine fighter aircraft in Goa to validate the modifications required for operating the French-origin aircraft from India’s indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, marking a key step towards strengthening the Navy’s carrier-based combat capabilities.According to ANI, citing defence officials, the trials are focused on modifications needed to adapt the aircraft for operations from INS Vikrant. The Indian Navy has signed a contract for 26 Rafale Marine aircraft, with deliveries expected by the end of 2028 or early 2029.The trials are significant because INS Vikrant uses a Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) system, in which aircraft take off using a ski-jump ramp and land by engaging arrestor wires on the flight deck. The Rafale M was originally designed to operate from CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery) aircraft carriers, which use catapults to launch aircraft.Integrating the French-origin fighter with INS Vikrant therefore requires validation of its compatibility with the carrier’s ski-jump launch configuration, recovery systems and other onboard infrastructure. The trials will help establish the aircraft’s suitability for operations from India’s indigenous carrier.About Rafale MarineThe Rafale Marine, also known as the Rafale M, is a carrier-based, twin-engine multirole fighter developed by French aerospace manufacturer Dassault Aviation for the French Navy.According to the French ministry of the armed forces, the aircraft is designed to operate from aircraft carriers and perform a range of missions, including air defence, air superiority, deep strikes, reconnaissance and anti-ship operations.It has maximum take-off weight of 24.5 tonnes and is powered by two Safran M88-E4 turbofan engines. It can reach the maximum speed of Mach 1.8, or approximately 2,200 kmph. The Rafale M features a naval-specific landing configuration and an arrestor hook to enable recovery aboard aircraft carriers.The fighter’s avionics include the RBE2 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which Dassault says can detect and track multiple aerial targets and detect and track naval targets.Its other systems include the Front Sector Optronics (FSO) sensor and the SPECTRA electronic warfare suite, designed to help detect, identify and respond to threats from enemy radars, missiles and lasers. The aircraft also uses sensor-data fusion to give pilots a consolidated picture of the tactical environment.The Rafale can deploy a range of weapons, including Meteor and MICA air-to-air missiles for aerial combat, SCALP long-range cruise missiles for deep-strike missions, AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles for maritime strikes, and HAMMER precision-guided air-to-ground weapons.
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