French officers allege China’s international embassies main cost to undermine Rafale gross sales after India-Pakistan battle in Might, says report.
French navy and intelligence officers declare China has deployed its embassies to unfold doubts concerning the efficiency of French-made Rafale jets following the aerial fight between India and Pakistan in Might.
The Related Press information company, quoting French officers, reported on Sunday that Beijing is working to hurt the popularity and gross sales of France’s flagship fighter plane.
French officers say they’ve discovered that the Chinese language embassies try to undermine Rafale gross sales by persuading nations which have already ordered the jets, notably Indonesia, to not purchase them and as a substitute select Chinese language-made fighters.
The AP report mentioned the findings have been shared by a French navy official provided that they shouldn’t be named.
4 days of India-Pakistan clashes in Might have been essentially the most severe confrontation in years between the 2 nuclear-armed neighbours, which included air fight involving dozens of plane from either side.
Navy officers and researchers have since been digging for particulars of how Pakistan’s Chinese language-made navy {hardware} – significantly warplanes and air-combat missiles – fared towards weaponry that India utilized in air strikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters.
Gross sales of Rafales and different armaments are large enterprise for the French defence trade and assist Paris to strengthen ties with different nations, together with in Asia, the place China is changing into the dominant regional energy.
India confirms losses
Pakistan says its air pressure downed 5 Indian planes through the preventing, together with three Rafales. French officers say that prompted questions on their efficiency from nations which have purchased the fighter from French producer Dassault Aviation.
India acknowledged plane losses however didn’t say what number of. French air pressure chief Normal Jerome Bellanger mentioned he has seen proof pointing to only three plane losses – a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier era French-made jet.
Particles of an plane lies within the compound of a mosque at Pampore in Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir, Might 7, 2025 (Dar Yasin/AP Picture)
It was the primary identified fight lack of a Rafale, which France has bought to eight nations. “After all, all these, the nations that purchased Rafales, requested themselves questions,” Bellanger mentioned.
French officers have been battling to guard the aircraft from reputational injury, pushing again towards what they allege was a concerted marketing campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation on-line from Pakistan and its ally, China.
They are saying the marketing campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery displaying supposed Rafale particles, AI-generated content material and video-game depictions to simulate supposed fight.
Greater than 1,000 social media accounts newly created because the India-Pakistan clashes erupted additionally unfold a story of Chinese language technological superiority, based on French researchers who concentrate on on-line disinformation.
French claims
Navy officers in France say they haven’t been in a position to hyperlink the net Rafale-bashing on to the Chinese language authorities.
However the French intelligence service mentioned Chinese language embassy defence attaches echoed the identical narrative in conferences they held with safety and defence officers from different nations, arguing that Indian Rafale jets carried out poorly and selling Chinese language-made weaponry.
The defence attaches targeted their lobbying on nations which have ordered Rafales and different potential buyer nations which might be contemplating purchases, the intelligence service mentioned. It mentioned French officers realized of the conferences from nations that have been approached.
The French Ministry for Armed Forces mentioned the Rafale was focused by “an unlimited marketing campaign of disinformation” that “sought to advertise the prevalence of different gear, notably of Chinese language design”.
“The Rafale was not randomly focused. It’s a extremely succesful fighter jet, exported overseas and deployed in a high-visibility theatre,” the French ministry wrote on its web site.
Requested by AP to touch upon the alleged effort to dent Rafale’s enchantment, the Ministry of Nationwide Defence in Beijing mentioned: “The related claims are pure groundless rumours and slander. China has constantly maintained a prudent and accountable strategy to navy exports, taking part in a constructive position in regional and world peace and stability.”
Dassault Aviation has bought 533 Rafales, together with 323 exported to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is contemplating shopping for extra.
