War against a fighter jet: After Pakistan's Rafale kill claims, China launched a disinformation blitz

A few weeks ago, a Pakistani military official claimed that the Pakistan Air Force particularly targeted India's Rafale fighter jets first during the recent military standoff between India and Pakistan because the Indian Air Force “expected them to be game-changers.” Now, reports emerge that there has been a disinformation campaign against the Rafale fighters, launched by China.

 

French military and intelligence officials claimed that China was behind the misinformation campaign against Rafale to spread doubts about the performance of the fighter aircraft in a bid to attract prospective buyers to its fighter jets. 

 

Pakistan claimed its air force downed five Indian planes during the fighting, including three Rafales, and was very vocal about its achievements, even as India maintained a steady silence about the platforms it may have downed. Pakistan's claims assumed significance, as if true, it would be the first time Rafale fighters were shot down in combat.

ALSO READ: Operation Sindoor a boon for India's defence sector?

China's foreign embassies led a charge to undermine the sale of Rafales, seeking to persuade countries that have already ordered the fighter, notably Indonesia, not to buy more and to encourage other potential buyers to choose Chinese-made planes, a report by AP said, citing findings by a French intelligence service.

 

The findings were shared with AP by a French military official on condition that the official and the intelligence service not be named. 

 

Ever since the India-Pakistan clash, military officials and researchers have been digging for details of how Pakistan's Chinese-made military hardware, particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles, fared against weaponry that India used, notably Rafale fighters.

 

French officials say the claims of Pakistan downing Rafale jets prompted questions about their performance from countries that have bought the fighter from Dassault Aviation. 

 

Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 for export to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is considering buying more. 

 

France's defence ministry said the Rafale was targeted by a vast campaign of disinformation that sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design. "The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theatre," the ministry wrote on its website.

Defence