According to information published by Print on December 7, 2022, French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation’s Rafale-M has emerged as the frontrunner to bag a mega contract from the Indian Navy for 27 fighters.
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Indian Air Force's fighter aircraft Rafale. (Picture source: French MFA)
In late January 2017, the Indian Navy released an international Request for Information (RFI) for 36 "Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters" (MRCBFs), asking for responses by mid-May.
The envisaged roles include shipborne air defense, air-to-surface attack, buddy aerial refueling, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, etc. The requirements are flexible, including single- or multi-engine, short take-off but arrested recovery (STOBAR) or catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR), or both.
Armaments are to include a gun plus four beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles and two all-aspect air-to-air missiles. Other technical capabilities and inclusions are to be assessed. The main contest is between Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Rafale-M.
On January 3, 2022, the Rafale-M fighter aircraft has begun intensive trials on Naval Air Station INS Hansa to assess whether it is best suited for the Indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant.
The Rafale M is the same as Rafale C F3-R but carrier-borne version for the French Naval Aviation, which entered service in 2001. For carrier operations, the M model has a strengthened airframe, longer nose gear leg to provide a more nose-up attitude, larger tailhook between the engines, and a built-in boarding ladder. Consequently, the Rafale M weighs about 500 kg (1,100 lb) more than the Rafale C.
It is the only non-US fighter type cleared to operate from the decks of US carriers, using catapults and their arresting gear, as demonstrated in 2008 when six Rafales from Flottille 12F integrated into the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Air Wing interoperability exercise.
