
From January 6 onwards, India will conduct flight tests at its shore-based test facility at INS Hansa in Goa of the naval version of the Rafale fighter, Rafale M. India is also set to commissioned the first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC 1) INS Vikrant in August 2022.
INS Hansa will conduct an intensive test of the Rafale-M at a mock up ski jump facility 283 meters high for about 12 days in order to assess whether the aircraft is best suited for IAC-1.
India has maintenance and flight training facility for the Rafale fighters used by the Indian Air Force at its Ambala airbase. Navy is also planning to test the US F-18 Hornet fighter at the same facility around March as an alternative option to the Rafale-M.
The IAC-1 is likely to be commissioned as INS Vikrant on August 15, 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.