New Delhi: The naval variant of France’s Rafale fighter has begun a series of flight trials in Goa, according to sources, as the Indian Navy prepares to bring the aircraft into service.
The test flights are meant to confirm that the jet meets the requirements for operating from Indian aircraft carriers. The sources said the trials form part of the preparatory process before the aircraft are inducted.
Goa already has a role in the Rafale Marine’s Indian story. The Navy’s Shore-Based Test Facility at INS Hansa, which has a 283-metre mock ski-jump ramp, hosted a 12-day evaluation of the jet in January 2022.
The ramp replicates the launch arrangement of India's two carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, which use the short take-off but arrested recovery (Stobar) method.
The Rafale Marine was designed around catapult launches from France’s carrier Charles de Gaulle, which made its performance off a ski-jump a key point to verify.
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The Rafale Marine was chosen after an evaluation against the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, which was also tested at the Goa facility. Dassault Aviation has said the selection was announced in July 2023.
India and France signed an inter-governmental agreement for 26 aircraft on April 28, 2025. The defence minister, Rajnath Singh, and the French armed forces minister at the time, Sébastien Lecornu, signed it at Nausena Bhawan in New Delhi. The order comprises 22 single-seat fighters configured for carrier operations and four twin-seat trainers.
The trainers are meant for shore-based use, as no two-seat version of the Rafale Marine has been cleared for carrier operations.
The deal is valued at ₹63,000-64,000 crore (about $7.5 billion). It also covers training, simulators, weapons, associated equipment and performance-based logistics support.
The Defence Ministry said it also includes additional equipment for the existing Rafale fleet of the Indian Air Force. Deliveries are expected to begin from mid-2028 and finish by about 2030, with crews to be trained in France and India.
The agreement includes transfer of technology for integrating indigenous weapons on the aircraft. It also provides for a Rafale fuselage production facility and maintenance, repair and overhaul units for engines, sensors and weapons in India.
The jets are intended mainly for INS Vikrant, with operations also planned from INS Vikramaditya. They will gradually replace the Navy's ageing MiG-29K fleet, which has faced serviceability problems. The acquisition is expected to strengthen the Navy's long-range maritime strike and air defence capabilities.
The Air Force already operates 36 Rafales. With the naval order, India will have 62 of the type and become the first country outside France to fly both variants.
The Navy will also be the first foreign user of the Rafale Marine. The Defence Ministry has said the commonality between the two fleets should improve joint operational capability and streamline training and logistics.
