Vice Admiral Anup Singh (retd) did mention the Rafale M and MiG-29K specifically. He states, ""Rafale has a footprint on deck of just 10 meters as against the MIG-29 which consumes 13 meters of length for wingspan."Manish_P wrote: ↑12 Jul 2023 21:08Hence my query about why the specific wording 'when navigating on the deck for take-off and landing'
Surely if the bird fits the lifts and in the hangars then it should have no problem on top viz the deck
Or is the person hinting that we will get the birds now even if they don't fit the lifts and simply store them up top...
Setting aside the Vice Admiral's possible faux pas of the wingspan and assuming Wikipedia is correct on the MiG-29K (nearly 12 meters, fully extended) and Rafale (nearly 11 meters), that should make a difference on the deck of INS Vikrant and that is why the Vice Admiral mentioned it. The deck space - compared to other aircraft carriers - is tight. Any extra space available would definitely help.
And if the Vice Admiral found the advantage of Rafale M vs MiG-29K, then imagine the F-18SH at 44+ meter wingspan (fully extended) aboard INS Vikrant.