India will test Rafale-M (Marine) Jet for its use on Vikramaditya aircraft carrier as well as on IAC1, an indigenous aircraft carrier. Which will be deployed at INS Hansa in Goa. It is a shore-based test facility.
The aircraft arrived yesterday for the testing.
The Rafale-M aircraft is the F4 equivalent standard naval version of the Rafale. The marine version of the Rafale jet has a reinforced undercarriage and nose wheel, a bigger arrester hook, an integrated ladder, and other minor differences from the Rafale currently in use in the Indian Air Force.
According to people familiar with the matter, the Rafale-M is better suited for use on the aircraft carriers than the F18 Hornet fighter from the US for several reasons. They pointed out that it can fit into the lift bay of the Vikramaditya, unlike the F18 which cannot fit the lift of the Vikramaditya even with folded wings. The Rafale-M’s dimensions also mean more of them (14) can fit onto the deck of the Vikramaditya as compared to 10 or 11 F18s.
Aircraft carrier Vikramaditya is chosen because the very minimum modification is required in its wheel-chokes.
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Rafale-M has the capacity to carry four to five tonnes of external load along with full internal fuel for a ski take-off. If the volume of the internal fuel is reduced Rafale-M can carry more weapons depending on the mission for which it is deployed. It can carry out a wide variety of roles including intercept, combat air patrol, AD escort, Sea and Land Strike.
Officials familiar with the matter also added that unlike the F18s, which requires the carriers to be fitted with a new carrier optical landing system, the Rafale M’s can work with the existing one on the Vikramaditya.
There’s also the benefit of a common platform across the navy and the Air Force, one of the people said. Apart from synergies in logistics and maintenance, this person added, Indian Navy pilots could be trained on IAF’s Rafales for “faster induction”.
The Vikrant is likely to be commissioned by August 15, and if the Rafale-M is chosen, India may seek to lease four or five of the aircraft for immediate deployment. The Vikramaditya is currently equipped with two squadrons of aging MiG-29.
The Rafale-M sent for testing is the latest version of the fighter with India-specific enhancements. It is nuclear-capable, carries Meteor air-to-air missiles, SCALP air-to-ground missiles, and Hammer precision-guided ammunition.
