Rafale Marine Fighter Lands on INS Vikrant: A First Step Towards Its Induction in the Navy
A Rafale Marine (Rafale M) fighter jet landed on INS Vikrant, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, on 29 October 2026. It landed successfully on its first attempt.
The Indian Navy announced the landing on 30 October 2026 and shared a video of it.
The Navy called the ongoing trials "the first steps towards operationalisation" of the Rafale M. Operationalisation means making an aircraft fully ready for regular use in service.
The trials check how the jet and the carrier work together: take-off from Vikrant's ski-jump, landing with an arrester wire, deck handling and any changes either side needs.
India signed a deal with France in April 2025 for 26 Rafale M aircraft for the Navy. Deliveries are expected to start around 2028-29 and finish by about 2030.
INS Vikrant (IAC-1): India's First Indigenous Aircraft Carrier
INS Vikrant is the first aircraft carrier designed and built in India. An aircraft carrier is a very large warship that works like a floating airbase: fighter jets and helicopters take off from its deck, land back on it, and are stored and repaired inside it. Vikrant was built at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, Kerala, and joined the Indian Navy on 2 September 2022. Its project name was Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-1 (IAC-1).
The Rafale M landing on Vikrant is the start of fitting India's new carrier jet to India's own carrier. Until it is proven on Vikrant's ski-jump and arrester wires, the 26 jets on order cannot be used at sea. That is why the Navy calls these trials the first step to operationalisation.
Rafale Marine (Rafale M): The Navy's Carrier-Based Fighter
The Rafale Marine, or Rafale M, is the navy version of the Rafale fighter jet, made by the French company Dassault Aviation. It is built to take off from and land on aircraft carriers. India has ordered 26 of these jets to fly from INS Vikrant. They are India's main new carrier fighters until India builds its own.
The successful first landing on 29 October 2026 shows that the Rafale M can be safely recovered on Vikrant's deck using its arrester wires. It is an early, practical proof that the jet chosen in 2025 fits India's carrier, ahead of the arrival of India's own 26 jets.
Indigenous Warship Building and "Aatmanirbharta" in Defence Production
Indigenous warship building means designing and building naval ships in India, at Indian shipyards and with as much Indian-made material, equipment and weapons as possible. Aatmanirbharta means self-reliance. In defence, it means India should be able to make what its armed forces need, so that it is not stuck if a foreign supplier stops supplies during a crisis. The Indian Navy is often seen as the leader among India's armed forces in this effort.
The Rafale M landing joins an imported jet with an Indian-built carrier. It shows both the progress (India can now build the carrier itself) and the gap that remains (the carrier's fighters still come from abroad).
- First Rafale M landing on INS Vikrant: 29 October 2026; announced by the Navy on 30 October 2026
- Rafale M order: 26 jets (22 single-seat + 4 twin-seat trainers), about ₹63,000 crore, IGA signed 28 April 2025
- Deliveries: from about 2028-29, completion by about 2030
- INS Vikrant commissioned: 2 September 2022, Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi
- INS Vikrant: about 262 m long; nearly 45,000 tonnes; about 30 aircraft; STOBAR; over 76% indigenous content (official)
- First fighter landings on Vikrant (MiG-29K, LCA Navy): 6 February 2023
- Air Force Rafale: 36 jets under the 2016 deal