A French Navy Rafale-M fighter jet prepares to land on aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with an arrestor hook during Ex Varuna off Goa coast on March 22, 2025 | Photo Credit: Dinakar Peri India and France deployed aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and Charles de Gaulle for the bilateral exercise named ‘Varuna’, allowing the Indian Navy getting to closely observe, and operate with, the Rafale-M fighter jets, which it is set to contract soon. The maneuvers also focused on Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) operations. The exercise was held from March 19-22 off the coast of Goa. “For four days we have been working on every naval warfare domain either below the surface, on the surface, or above the surface, interacting with the Indian submarine, with Migs and Rafales of course working all together,” said Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard, Chief of the French Carrier Strike Group, speaking to two Indian media outlets onboard the carrier about 90-100 miles off Goa. “I am just coming back from the debriefing on the exercise on INS Vikrant, and we have been …