The Indian Navy is believed to have preferred the Rafale over the F/A-18 Super Hornet for the INS Vikrant

India's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant is undergoing air certification and flight integration trials with rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft to attain combat readiness at the earliest. The Indian Navy's fleet of Russian-origin MiG-29k jets has successfully achieved day and night landing on the carrier. Once INS Vikrant, which is sailing in the Arabian Sea, is declared 'combat ready', at least 12 MiG-29Ks are expected to be deployed on it.

However, India's biggest warship is waiting for the 26 new deck-based fighter jets that the navy is purchasing as an interim measure while in wait for the homegrown twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF). The Aeronautical Development Agency of the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) is working on the TEDBF. The first test flight of the TEDBF is likely to be conducted by 2026 and the aircraft is expected to be ready for production only by 2031.

For now, then, 26 foreign-made fighter jets will serve as the alternative. France's Dassault Aviation is in the race with its Rafale-M jets against the US's Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet. With both fighters having demonstrated their capabilities at a shore-based test facility in Goa and the navy submitting its report to the ministry of defence, all eyes are on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visits to the US and France for a possible announcement of India's choice.

While most of INS Vikrant's aviation facilities are designed to suit Russian fighter jets, the Indian Navy has rejected the MiG-29k for future induction due to its poor safety record in recent years. So, the warship will require design changes should the navy go for US or European fighter jets.

Prime Minister Modi is travelling to the US on his first state visit from June 21-24, where both sides have planned discussions on cooperation in various fields, including defence. The Modi government has been pushing the US for joint development of GE aero engines in India. As part of the bargain, Pentagon may be expecting the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet deal to sail through.

On July 14, PM Modi will attend Bastille Day Parade in Paris as the guest of honour and hold discussions with French president Emmanuel Macron during the visit. France has become India's key defence partner with the delivery of Rafale jets, the joint development of Scorpene submarines and the latest Airbus deal to manufacture C-295 tactical transport aircraft in Gujarat.

Although no announcements have been made, the Indian Navy is believed to have preferred the Rafale-M over the F/A-18 Super Hornet for INS Vikrant. Though the navy had issued a request for information (RFI) to foreign players for new jet fighters way back in 2017, the race appears to have reached a crucial stage now as the countdown begins for PM Modi's visits to the US and France.