New Delhi, June 15 (IANS): Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier has dismissed as “factually incorrect” Pakistan’s claims about having shot down three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor.
In an interview to French magazine Challenges, Trappier said: “What Pakistan is claiming about downing three Rafales is simply not true.” He added that Dassault, the French company that manufactures the Rafale, has received no official communication from the Indian Air Force indicating any such losses. “What we already know is that what the Pakistanis are saying about destroying three Rafale planes is inaccurate,” he said. “When the complete details are known, the reality may surprise many,” Trappier added.
In the interview, which comes just ahead of the Paris Air Show, Trappier also highlighted the Rafale’s reputation as a premier multirole fighter jet. “If you want a single aircraft capable of air-to-air combat, reconnaissance, ground strikes, nuclear deterrence, and aircraft carrier deployment, Rafale is unmatched,” he said. While acknowledging the stealth advantage of the American F-22, he maintained that the Rafale is superior to the F-35 in real-world versatility and performance. “It’s far better than anything China currently offers,” he contended.
India has already denied that any of its fighter jets were destroyed during Operation Sindoor, which involved precision bombing of terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan territory. The operation was followed by missile attacks that caused significant damage to key bases of the Pakistani Air Force.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif had earlier claimed that Pakistani forces downed five Indian aircraft, including three Rafales, and captured Indian soldiers during a retaliatory attack following India’s airstrikes. However, no evidence has been released to support these claims.
Defence analysts have dismissed the Pakistani narrative as sheer propaganda, consistent with past disinformation tactics. India had launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation for a Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, in which 26 tourists were massacred.
— IANS
