Intelligence and military officials of France blamed China for lobbying to spread doubts about the performance of French-manufactured Rafale aircraft with the help of its embassies in different countries following the May deadly war between Pakistan and India. On Sunday, French officials said that the Xi administration is working to harm the sales and reputation of French flagship fighter jets.
According to French officials, they have found evidence that Chinese embassies are attempting to undermine Rafale sales by urging nations, such as Indonesia, that have previously ordered these jets, not to buy them, but instead to purchase Chinese-made aircraft. The four-day war between Pakistan and India was the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighboring countries, which included a dogfight involving dozens of jets from both sides.
Researchers and military officials have since been investigating the details of how Pakistani Chinese-made military hardware, specifically air combat missiles and warplanes, fared against weaponry that India used in air strikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale jets. Armaments and Rafale sales are a significant industry for the French defense industry, helping Paris strengthen relations with other countries, including in Asia, where China is emerging as the dominant regional power.
India Confirms Losses in the War
Pakistan claims its air force shot down five Indian planes during the conflict, including three Rafales. French officials say this has raised questions about the aircraft’s performance from countries that purchased the fighter jets from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation. India acknowledged the aircraft losses but did not specify the number.
French Air Force Chief General Jerome Bellanger mentioned that he has seen evidence indicating only three aircraft losses: a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi, and a Mirage 2000, which is an older French-made jet. This marks the first known combat loss of a Rafale, which France has sold to eight countries.
“Of course, all those nations that bought Rafales asked themselves questions,” Bellanger said. French officials have been working to protect the plane’s reputation, pushing back against what they allege was a coordinated campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally, China.
Over 1,000 newly established social media accounts, coinciding with the escalation of India-Pakistan hostilities, propagated a narrative suggesting Chinese technological dominance, according to French researchers specializing in online disinformation.
French Claims
French authorities have asserted that they have not been able to establish a direct link between online criticisms of the Rafale and the Chinese government. However, the French intelligence agency reported that Chinese embassy defense attaches reiterated this narrative during meetings with security and defense officials from various countries, claiming that Indian Rafale jets underperformed and advocating for Chinese-produced weaponry.
The defense attaches concentrated their lobbying efforts on countries that have already ordered Rafale aircraft as well as potential clients contemplating procurement, according to the intelligence agency. It was also disclosed that French officials became aware of these meetings through the nations that were approached.
The French Ministry for the Armed Forces stated that the Rafale had been subjected to “an extensive campaign of disinformation” aimed at promoting the superiority of alternative equipment, particularly that of Chinese origin. “The Rafale was not arbitrarily targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, which has been exported internationally and is deployed in a theatre of considerable visibility,” the French Ministry elaborated on its official website.
