French military reacts to Rafale downing by Pakistan

PARIS: The French military spokesperson’s reaction to the downing of France’s Rafale fighter jet by the Pakistan Air Force in the recent Indo-Pakistan war has been revealed.

On May 7, Pakistan shot down seven Indian aircraft, including three Rafales, in response to India’s aggression on Pakistani territory.

The international media has described the downing of modern aircraft like Rafale at the hands of the Pakistan Air Force as a humiliating defeat for India. According to military experts, Pakistan has proved its air superiority over India by shooting down modern aircraft like Rafale for the first time.

A French military spokesman has responded to this during a routine press briefing in Paris, saying that the details of the incident are still uncertain and many aspects need to be confirmed.

He said that France is closely monitoring the situation regarding Rafale’s performance and is in direct contact with its partner India to obtain information.

The spokesman said that according to reports, hundreds of aircraft participated in this battle, France wants to learn as much as possible from the experience of this battle. If the reports of the downing of a Rafale prove to be correct, it would be the first incident in the two decades of operational service of this aircraft.

In a briefing on May 9, in response to a question about the loss of Rafale aircraft, Air Marshal AK Bharti of the Indian Air Force said, “Losses are part of the fight and I cannot give more details than that, it benefits the opposing side.”

It should be noted that India purchased 36 Rafale aircraft from France after the destruction of two of its aircraft by Pakistan in 2019. Some 3 Rafale were destroyed by Pakistan in the recent war.