Rafale or F-18? Which jet will fly from INS Vikrant? | News – Times of India Videos

The Indian Navy recently commissioned its second aircraft carrier INS Vikrant in Kochi. With the commissioning of indigenous aircraft carrier, the Indian Navy is set to issue $5 billion tenders to buy 26 combat aircrafts. The Navy Headquarters is evaluating the report of extensive trials of French Rafale and American F-18 fighter jets. The aircrafts which are going to operate from INS Vikrant is planned to be acquired under a government-to-government deal by the Navy. The evaluation is done to check whether the aircraft has met the technical specifications of the Naval requirements or not. The American aircrafts are capable of carrying weight of one lakh tonnes while the French Rafale is made for 60,000 tonne-size carriers. The Navy currently operates MiG-29Ks from INS Vikramaditya which also don’t have a very strong serviceability record. The trial report would determine the winner of the competition which was earlier planned for around 57 planes but now reduced to 26. The last time these two planes took part in an Indian tender, the Rafale had emerged as a winner but that deal could not be completed due to technical issues. However, the American side claims that it has improved the performance and capabilities of the aircraft compared to the last competition.