India Lost Rafale to Technical Issue, No Combat Loss: Dassault CEO Dismisses Pakistani Claims
According to a report from ThePrint, India has experienced the loss of a Rafale fighter jet due to a technical failure at high altitude, with no involvement of enemy forces. This information comes from a French report quoting Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier.
The details were published on a French website, Avion De Chasse, and describe the incident as occurring over 12,000 meters during a training mission without enemy engagement or radar contact.
Despite this report, Indian authorities have not formally acknowledged the loss of a Rafale aircraft under such conditions.
Last month, India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan clarified during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that the Indian Air Force did experience losses during Operation Sindoor. However, he denied Pakistan's claim of downing six Indian jets, including Rafales, labeling it as "absolutely incorrect." In an interview with Reuters, General Chauhan mentioned that India adjusted its tactics and subsequently launched successful operations against Pakistani airbases on the 7th, 8th, and 10th, penetrating their defenses and executing precision strikes.
Additionally, India’s Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar, confirmed some losses during Operation Sindoor while responding to remarks at a seminar in Indonesia. He disagreed with Pakistan's claim of shooting down multiple Indian aircraft, including three Rafales, attributing the losses to restrictions imposed by political leadership, which limited Indian military actions to targeting terrorist camps.
Dassault Aviation's Chairman Éric Trappier has dismissed Pakistan’s claim of shooting down three Rafale jets during the operation, calling the allegations "inaccurate and unfounded."
Regarding these claims, Trappier stated, "the Indians haven’t communicated, so we don’t know exactly what happened. What we already know is that what the Pakistanis are saying, three Rafales destroyed is inaccurate.”
In a report published on June 25, Trappier, prior to the Paris Air Show, addressed the situation from a technical perspective, rejecting any notions of operational failure.
According to the report, Trappier noted that the Rafale’s SPECTRA electronic warfare suite detected no hostile activity at the time. Data from friend-or-foe systems and flight logs shared with Dassault confirmed there were no combat-related losses.
Trappier framed the Pakistani allegations as part of a disinformation strategy aimed at undermining the Rafale's reputation, especially as it vies for international tenders in countries like Colombia, Serbia, and Malaysia. He pointed out that Dassault has always been transparent about operational losses, citing detailed public reports from French military operations in the Sahel.
Moreover, French intelligence officials suspect China played a significant role in casting doubt on the Rafale’s combat capabilities after Operation Sindoor. As reported by the Associated Press, classified assessments suggest Chinese defense attachés have been lobbying foreign governments, particularly Indonesia, to reconsider Rafale purchases in favor of Chinese fighter jets. Anonymous French military officials view this as part of a broader strategy to weaken Rafale’s export potential.
