NEW DELHI, Jun 02 (Alliance News): A growing dispute has surfaced between France and India regarding the performance of the Dassault Rafale fighter jets amid reports of their losses during the recent Pakistan-India conflict.
The Pakistan Air Force reportedly shot down six Indian jets, including at least three Rafales, raising concerns over the aircraft’s combat effectiveness.
Regional and Western media, along with defence analysts from the United States and France, have attributed several Indian fighter jet losses to Pakistan Air Force J-10C squadrons during the initial phase of hostilities.
Besides the Rafales, India is believed to have lost one Su-30MKI, one MiG-29, and one Mirage 2000, totaling six aircraft downed mostly during deep-strike operations inside Pakistan.
Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Chauhan confirmed the loss of jets early in the conflict but refrained from specifying numbers, stressing that understanding the reasons behind the losses was more critical than the count itself.
Tensions escalated further after Dassault, the French manufacturer of the Rafale, declined India’s request for the aircraft’s source code, complicating technical cooperation.
France has defended the Rafale by attributing the losses to pilot error and maintenance issues rather than design flaws.
Meanwhile, India has restricted Dassault’s audit team from inspecting its Rafale fleet, likely due to concerns that the evaluation could blame the Indian Air Force for any shortcomings.
The controversy has attracted international attention beyond India and France. Indonesia, which recently procured Rafale jets, has launched its own audit into the aircraft’s performance.
The incident is also prompting European nations to reconsider their military strategies. Dassault’s shares reportedly dropped following the news of the Rafale losses.
