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SOURCE: AFI

India’s signing of a €7 billion deal for 26 Rafale-Marine (Rafale-M) fighter jets on April 28, 2025, to equip the Indian Navy’s INS Vikrant aircraft carrier has reignited a long-standing debate about the aircraft’s compatibility with India’s existing carriers. The Rafale-M, with a wingspan of 11 meters and non-folding wings, faces significant challenges fitting into the elevators of INS Vikrant (10 meters wide) and INS Vikramaditya (9.9 meters wide).

This mismatch has sparked discussions on social media platforms like X and among defense analysts, with many arguing that the Rafale-M’s deployment is better suited for the planned Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-2 (IAC-2), which is expected to feature wider elevators. This article explores the technical constraints, operational implications, and strategic considerations surrounding this debate, while addressing potential solutions and the role of IAC-2.

The Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France includes 22 single-seater and four twin-seater Rafale-M jets, along with simulators, weapons, and five years of Performance-Based Logistics (PBL). The deal, finalized after rigorous trials in 2022 at the Shore-Based Test Facility (SBTF) in Goa, where the Rafale-M demonstrated ski-jump takeoffs, aims to replace the Indian Navy’s aging MiG-29K fleet, plagued by low serviceability (15–47% per 2016 reports). The Rafale-M, a 4.5-generation fighter, offers advanced avionics, RBE2 AESA radar tuned for maritime missions, and compatibility with weapons like the Meteor BVR missile, enhancing India’s naval air power against threats from Pakistan’s JF-17s and Chinese J-15s in the Indian Ocean.

However, the deal has revived concerns about the Rafale-M’s physical compatibility with India’s carriers, originally designed for the smaller MiG-29K (wingspan 11.99 meters, but foldable to 7.8 meters). Posts on X, such as one by @Iyervval on April 28, 2025, highlight the core issue: “Rafale Marine has a wingspan of 11 meters. The wings can’t be folded. Vikramaditya’s elevator is 9.9 meters wide & Vikrant’s is 10 meters. Neither can properly deploy the Rafale.” This has fueled speculation that the Rafale-M’s full operational integration awaits IAC-2, expected by 2035–2036.

The Rafale-M’s wingspan of 11 meters poses a significant challenge for the elevators on INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, which transfer aircraft between the hangar and flight deck. INS Vikrant, commissioned in 2022, has two deck-edge elevators, each approximately 10 meters wide and 16.5 meters long, designed for the MiG-29K and potentially the Naval Tejas (wingspan 8.2 meters). INS Vikramaditya, a retrofitted Russian carrier, has a single center-deck elevator, 9.9 meters wide, also tailored for the MiG-29K. The Rafale-M’s non-folding wings exceed these dimensions, complicating its movement within the carriers.

To fit the Rafale-M onto a 10-meter-wide elevator, the aircraft must be tilted diagonally, with one wing elevated and the other lowered. Calculations suggest a tilt angle of approximately 23.5°, raising the elevated wingtip 4.3 meters above the floor, assuming the depressed wingtip is flush with the elevator’s edge. This maneuver requires:

Clearance in the Hangar: The hangar ceiling, typically 5–6 meters high, may not accommodate the elevated wing, especially during engine swaps when the aircraft is jacked up (Rafale-M height: 5.34 meters).

Elevator Tolerance: The elevator’s width may be slightly less than 10 meters due to structural frames, increasing the tilt angle and risk of damage.

Operational Tempo: Tilting and maneuvering each aircraft is time-consuming, reducing the carrier’s sortie rate during high-intensity operations, a critical handicap in wartime.

INS Vikramaditya’s 9.9-meter elevator exacerbates these issues, as its center-deck placement prevents the aircraft’s nose or tail from overhanging, unlike Vikrant’s deck-edge elevators. The MiG-29K’s folding wings allow it to fit comfortably, highlighting the design mismatch with the Rafale-M.

The Rafale-M’s competitor, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, has a wingspan of 13.62 meters but folds to 9.32 meters, fitting Vikrant’s elevator with minimal adjustment and Vikramaditya’s with modifications. However, the Rafale-M was chosen for its commonality with the Indian Air Force’s 36 Rafales (80% shared components), superior weaponry, and France’s willingness to provide Transfer of Technology (ToT) for local production. Dassault’s modifications, such as reinforced titanium landing gear and adjusted pylon structures, addressed ski-jump compatibility but not the wingspan issue.

Moving Rafale-Ms to and from the hangar will be slower, limiting the carrier’s ability to sustain high sortie rates. In a conflict with Pakistan or China, where rapid response is critical, this could hinder air wing operations. Engine swaps and repairs, requiring additional clearance, may be impractical in the confined hangar, forcing maintenance to occur on the flight deck, exposed to weather and enemy surveillance.

INS Vikrant, designed to carry 26 fighters, may operate fewer Rafale-Ms (e.g., 14–18) to maintain operational tempo, relying on helicopters like the MH-60R or Ka-31 to fill capacity. The Navy may station Rafale-Ms on Vikrant’s flight deck, avoiding elevator use, but this limits hangar storage and exposes aircraft to corrosion in the salty maritime environment.

These constraints have led some analysts to argue that the Rafale-M’s full potential will only be realized on IAC-2, a 65,000-tonne carrier planned to replace INS Vikramaditya by 2035–2036, with larger elevators designed to accommodate non-folding wings.

Despite the elevator concerns, some sources dispute the severity of the issue. A post by@rockfish31 on April 28, 2025, claims Vikrant’s elevator is approximately 16.5 x 11.2 meters, sufficient for the Rafale-M, though no official Indian Navy confirmation exists. Others argue that operational workarounds, such as:

  • Diagonal Positioning: Tilting the Rafale-M to fit elevators, as demonstrated in French trials on the Charles de Gaulle (elevator width: ~11.5 meters).
  • Deck Storage: Keeping most Rafale-M Deck Storage: Keeping most Rafale-Ms on the flight deck to minimize elevator use, though this risks corrosion and reduces hangar space for maintenance.
  • Temporary Modifications: Retrofitting Vikant’s elevators to widen them by 1–2 meters, though this would be costly (potentially $100–200 million) and require extensive structural redesign, disrupting operations for 1–2 years.
  • Leasing Additional Rafale-Ms: Using land-based Rafale-Ms at INS Hansa for training, reducing wear on carrier-based units until IAC-2 is ready.
  • Prioritizing TEDBF: Accelerating the TEDBF program, with folding wings, to replace Rafale-Ms on Vikant and Vikramaditya by 2035, though delays could extend reliance on Rafale-Ms.

However, these solutions are imperfect. Retrofitting is impractical due to Vikant’s recent commissioning and the complexity of altering a carrier’s internal structure. Deck storage sacrifices maintenance efficiency, and TEDBF’s timeline remains uncertain. The most viable option appears to be managing with limited Rafale-M deployment on Vikant until IAC-2’s larger elevators resolve the issue.

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