The maritime version of the Rafale fighter jet was recently test-fired aboard INS Vikrant. The test from the aircraft carrier was successful.
The test was conducted to check the take-off of the Rafale jet from the aircraft carrier. This test was successful. The INS Vikrant aircraft carrier uses catapult launches. And this aircraft performed well at launch.
A catapult is a device that enables an aircraft to take off from a small space. This is a kind of assisted take off.
The catapult accelerates the aircraft from 0 to 165 knots in just 2 to 3 seconds. In this system high pressure steam is collected in the accumulators. This steam is obtained from nuclear reactors. After the desired steam pressure is reached, the valves of the accumulators are closed and the catapult is ready to operate.
Apart from catapult launch, STOBAR (Short Take-off But Arrested Recovery) is a well known launch system. It is mainly used in Russia and China. Since India is highly dependent on Russia for its defense systems earlier, STOBARs are common in India as well. It has a long ramp from which the plane takes off.
