The naval version of the Dassault Rafale fighter jet, the Rafale M, will soon be put to the test in India. The aircraft will have to prove its ability to take off by ski-jumping off a ramp.

This technique, called Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), is in force in the Indian Navy. Both the INS Vikramaditya (former Soviet Admiral Gorshkov) and the upcoming INS Vikrant, an indigenous carrier to be commissioned in 2022, use a STOBAR system.

The Indian Naval Air Arm currently operates a fleet of over 40 MiG-29K fighter aircraft. To replace the aging fleet, the Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters (MRCBF) program was established, with plans to acquire 57 carrier-capable fighter jets.