Eye on mega deal with Navy, Dassault will fly Rafale Marine to India in 2022 for showcase trip
18 Oct 2021 Snehesh Alex Philip
"Dassault Aviation had been in talks with Navy for the naval version of Rafale even before the French giant signed the contract for 36 air force fighters in 2016.
New Delhi: French defence giant Dassault Aviation is likely to bring the naval version of the Rafale aircraft to India in early 2022 to showcase its ability to carry out a ski-jump, which is a crucial take-off capability to operate from Indian aircraft carriers, ThePrint has learnt....
...“The Rafale M will not take off from the aircraft carrier (during the showcase) but from the shore-based test facility (SBTF) at INS Hansa, Goa. The Dassault Aviation is confident and wanted to showcase their capability in India itself,” a source said....
...A fighter aircraft’s behaviour for a few seconds after ski-jump take-offs, until wing-borne flight takes place, is critical to achieve a successful launch from carriers.
Rafale M’s competitor — the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter of Boeing — had demonstrated the ski-jump capability in December 2020. However, the demonstration was held at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in the US."