(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Two French Air Force Rafale fighter jets collided in the northern region of the country, resulting in the disappearance of a flight instructor and a trainee pilot, while, another pilot was found conscious.
Citing military personnel and civilians, the local media reported that the mid-air collision involving the advanced French Air Force fighter jets occurred on Wednesday afternoon (local time) in the Meurthe-et-Moselle area.
Both 4.5-generation fighter jets, developed by Dassault Aviation, were based at the Saint-Dizier-Robinson Air Base, according to military sources.
The second fighter jet was manned by an instructor and a trainee, who remain unaccounted for.
All three individuals involved in the incident are French nationals. The cause of the collision between the two advanced fighter jets is currently unknown.
Local media reported that search and rescue operations are ongoing, with the crash site cordoned off by firefighters and equipped with necessary resources.
Rescue teams have discovered numerous aircraft debris at the scene.
The French Air Force, through its X (formerly Twitter) account, stated: “Multiple assets have been deployed to the location, including the Air Gendarmerie brigade and firefighters from Nancy-Ochey Air Base 133 for the search and rescue of the two crew members.”
Initial reports indicated that the incident involved Mirage fighter jets, but the country’s Armed Forces Minister, Sebastian Lecornu, confirmed that the collision involved Rafale fighter jets.
“There was an incident involving two Rafale fighter jets from the ¾ ‘Aquitaine’ Transformation Squadron that took place in Meurthe-et-Moselle. One pilot has been found, is safe, and in good condition. Search and rescue operations are still underway,” he said via X (formerly Twitter).
The Rafale fighter jet is a twin-engine, canard delta-wing multirole aircraft developed by Dassault Aviation.
Equipped with a variety of weapon systems, the Rafale is designed for a wide range of missions, including air superiority, interception, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, deep strike missions, maritime strike, and nuclear deterrence.
The Rafale entered service with the French Air Force and French Navy between 2004 and 2006 and has since been deployed in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq, and Syria.
Earlier this January, France confirmed it would spend US$5.5 billion (RM24.75 billion) to acquire 42 new Rafale fighter jets.
All 42 jets ordered by the French Air Force are the F4 variant but will be upgraded to the F5 or “Super Rafale” variant, featuring several sixth-generation capabilities in the 2030s.
With the latest order, the total number of Rafale fighter jets ordered by the French Air Force now stands at 234.
In addition to the orders for the French Air Force, Dassault Aviation has also received orders for 261 Rafale jets from several countries, including Indonesia, India, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). — DSA