French Navy Rebuts Pakistani Media's False Rafale Claims After Operation Sindoor
The French Navy has firmly rejected a report from a Pakistan-based media outlet that falsely claimed India's Rafale fighter jets were downed during clashes linked to Operation Sindoor earlier this year.
The controversy erupted when Geo TV, a prominent Pakistani broadcaster, published an article on November 21, erroneously attributing statements to a senior French naval officer. The report made unfounded allegations that a French official had verified Pakistani air superiority and the downing of Indian Rafales. The French Navy has denounced these claims as "deliberate misinformation."
French Navy Issues Strong Rebuttal
Through an official statement on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the Marine Nationale unequivocally declared the article to be entirely fabricated. It clarified that the quotes ascribed to Captain Yvan Launay were false and misleading.
The French Navy also highlighted that the Pakistani outlet had misquoted the officer and identified the wrong individual, referring to him as “Jacques Launay.” This error, the Navy emphasized, demonstrated the report's "lack of credibility and intent to mislead public opinion."
Who Is Captain Yvan Launay?
The French Navy stated that Captain Yvan Launay commands the Landivisiau Naval Air Station, the main operational base for Rafale Marine aircraft. His duties are focused on naval aviation operations and training, not on Indo-Pakistani conflicts.
The Navy clarified that Captain Launay attended a recent Indo-Pacific conference solely to discuss carrier operations, Rafale Marine mission profiles, and challenges in high-intensity air warfare. He did not comment on:
| Operation Sindoor |
| Indian Air Force losses |
| Chinese electronic warfare interference |
| Comparisons between Rafale and Chinese J-10 fighters |
Pakistani Claims: Pure Fabrication
The Geo TV article further claimed that Captain Launay:
| criticised India's handling of the Rafale system |
| claimed Rafale radars "failed" during combat |
| asserted Rafale could "defeat J-10C in any combat situation" |
The French Navy dismissed all these statements as invented and baseless.
France Warns Against Disinformation
French officials stressed that misusing the identities of serving officers is unacceptable, especially when it can mislead the international community and distort the security narrative of a sensitive region.
They noted that such misinformation undermines:
| diplomatic confidence |
| professional military engagement |
| public understanding of defence matters |
The incident, they indicated, highlights the growing threat of information warfare in the digital era.
A Pattern of Misinformation After Operation Sindoor
The fabricated Rafale story is part of a larger pattern of Pakistan-based outlets spreading exaggerated or false narratives following Operation Sindoor, during which Pakistan encountered significant military setbacks.
Defence analysts suggest the latest incident is part of an ongoing effort to target India's advanced weapons systems, particularly the Rafale, to influence public perception rather than reflect actual battlefield realities.
Conclusion
The French Navy's strong rebuttal has effectively exposed the Pakistani outlet's fabricated narrative and reaffirmed the credibility of its officers. It emphasized that Captain Yvan Launay's public statements were strictly confined to technical naval aviation topics, far removed from the false combat scenarios suggested by the Pakistani media.
By openly challenging the misinformation, France has issued a clear warning against the distortion of defence-related narratives and the misuse of official identities for propaganda purposes.
