The saga continues. The story thus far, with a wingspan of 11m, how could a Rafale-M enter INS Vikrant's hangar via the 10m wide elevator, and the 8.77m wide hangar door? Solution 1, enlarge the elevator and hangar door. Solution 2, sell Indian a version of Rafale-M with folded wings. I heard that solution 1 will be undertaken by French. How much would the French charge the Hindian? Would solution 2 be feasible, easier or cheaper?

If the elevator width is 10 m, then that hangar door is 8.77 m wide.

French Rafale M edges out American F/A-18 in Indian Navy fighter contest

Updated on Dec 09, 2022 12:46 AM IST

The Indian Air Force already operates two squadrons of the Rafale fighter, and if the navy also orders the maritime version of the same fighter, there will be commonality of spares and maintenance, said an official

ByRahul Singh

The French Rafale M fighter has edged out the American F/A-18 Super Hornet in a direct competition to equip the Indian Navy with 26 new deck-based fighters for the country’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The Rafale is manufactured by Dassault Aviation while the Super Hornet is a Boeing product.

Dassault and Boeing demonstrated the capabilities of their aircraft to the navy at a shore-based test facility in Goa in January and June, respectively. The navy has submitted the trial reports of the two fighters to the defence ministry, and it is now for the government to take a final call on the government-to-government deal to meet the navy’s requirements, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.

“The Rafale M has been found to be a better fit for the navy’s requirements,” said a second official, also asking not to be named. The Indian Air Force already operates two squadrons of the Rafale fighter, and if the navy also orders the maritime version of the same fighter, there will be commonality of spares and maintenance, the official added.

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