French intel’s MASSIVE revelation! China targeted Rafale reputation after…, Air Force chief says…
New Delhi: Following Operation Sindoor, China attempted to cast doubt on the effectiveness of France’s flagship Rafale fighter jets, according to the French intelligence report. The defence attachés in Chinese embassies were asked to lead the charge to undermine the sale and performance of Rafale jets as part of an effort to get countries to stop buying the French military fighter, according to the Associated Press.
For the French defence industry, sales of the Rafale fighter jet and other armaments bring most of the business to them, which even aided Paris in strengthening ties with Asian nations, where China is quite a dominant regional power.
According to AP, an anonymous French military official released this information. This comes when France is also claiming to fight a disinformation campaign against their Rafale jet. These campaigns are further fuelled by Pakistan, and its ally China, as it claimed they downed five Indian Air Force aircrafts during the conflict between the two countries in May.
What Pakistan say?
Islamabad claims to have shot down five Indian aircraft, including three Rafales, four days after the conclusion of the strikes. While India has acknowledged military losses, it has not officially disclosed the exact number of aircraft lost during Operation Sindoor.
According to France Air Force Chief Gen Jerome Bellanger, there was evidence of only three losses, out of which only one was a Rafale, the other two being a Russian Sukhoi and a Mirage-2000, which is another previous generation French jet.
The official added that this was the first time a Rafale has been lost during combat, though there is no official information from Indian authorities.
Claims made by French Intel
According to French intelligence, Pakistan’s claims would cause it to face questions about the jet’s performance from potential customers, and would attract additional doubts from the eight countries that already purchased it.
It was also revealed that Chinese officials have tried to drive away potential clients of the jet.
Despite the claims, France is unable to link the disinformation campaign directly to Beijing, while
Beijing says these allegations are “slander.”
Amidst all these allegations, the Ministry of National Defence in Beijing says, “The relevant claims are pure groundless rumours and slander. China has consistently maintained a prudent and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability.”
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