Dassault CEO Breaks Silence: Pakistan’s Claim of Downing Rafales “Inaccurate”

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier has forcefully denied Pakistan’s assertion that its air force shot down three Indian Rafale fighter jets during the recent Operation Sindoor conflict, branding the widely-circulated claim as “inaccurate.”

His remarks, delivered in an exclusive interview with French magazine Challenges, come at a critical moment before the Paris Air Show, where the Rafale is expected to be a major focal point amid intensifying global scrutiny of advanced fighter jet performance in active combat zones.

“The reports of Indian Rafales being lost are not accurate,” Trappier declared, dismissing the Pakistani narrative while reaffirming Dassault’s confidence in the Rafale’s battlefield resilience and multi-role superiority.

The bold rebuttal directly challenges Islamabad’s narrative that Chinese-built J-10C “Vigorous Dragon” fighters, equipped with PL-15E long-range air-to-air missiles, downed three Rafales during what it claimed was a decisive aerial engagement.

As reported extensively by Defence Security Asia, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had alleged that a total of six Indian jets—including three Rafales, one Su-30MKI, one MiG-29, and one Mirage 2000—were neutralized during high-intensity night and day operations from May 5–7 near the Line of Control.

The claims, quickly amplified by regional media and online platforms, were presented as a watershed moment for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stating, “The much-hyped Rafale fighter jets have failed disastrously, and the Indian Air Force pilots have demonstrated a clear lack of proficiency.”

 According to sources cited by a Pakistani defence journalists, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) J-10C reportedly downed Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale from a staggering 182 kilometres away using the Chinese-manufactured PL-15 Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile.

In the reported engagement, the Pakistani J-10C is said to have remained entirely within Pakistan’s sovereign airspace while launching the PL-15 missile that successfully engaged the IAF Rafale across the Line of Control during the opening salvos of the India-Pakistan aerial conflict.

The initial days of the conflict between the two nuclear-armed South Asian rivals saw what defence analysts now describe as “the largest air battle in modern history,” with a total of 125 fighter jets from both air forces reportedly taking to the skies in simultaneous combat sorties.

Trappier’s statement, however, represents a strategic counteroffensive from Dassault to safeguard the Rafale’s reputation just as the aircraft continues to anchor Indian air power doctrine and expand its export footprint globally.

“It’s always difficult to say we’re the best in absolute terms,” Trappier said. “But I believe we offer the best compromise.”

“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 added.

The Dassault chief acknowledged that in a direct dogfight, the U.S. F-22 Raptor may enjoy stealth advantages, but argued that in real-world mission readiness, the Rafale outperforms the F-35 and is “far better than anything China currently offers.”

Trappier’s defense of the Rafale aligns with India’s broader military messaging campaign, which has steadily countered Pakistani claims with carefully calibrated official responses.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, made his most explicit public remarks on the matter to date, confirming aircraft losses while dismissing Pakistani claims as exaggerated.

“The key issue is not whether the aircraft was downed, but why it went down,” Chauhan stated, adding that “numbers are not important.”

“What is good is that we understood the mistakes, corrected them, and within 48 hours launched retaliatory long-range precision strikes with all our fighters,” he said, highlighting India’s rapid operational rebound.

He categorically rejected the claim that six jets were lost, calling the figures “completely inaccurate,” but declined to provide alternate numbers, citing wartime sensitivities.

While India has yet to officially confirm the loss of its Rafales, a senior IAF official, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, remarked at a wartime briefing, “We are in a war scenario—losses are part of combat,” when pressed about the Rafale incident, hinting at possible unspoken confirmations.

Bharti declined to offer further clarification, but his non-denial has only deepened suspicions among defence analysts and intelligence observers.

To many experts, his statement appears to be an implicit acknowledgment that India may indeed have suffered its worst aerial combat losses since the Kargil conflict.

Senior U.S. defence officials told Reuters that Pakistani J-10Cs were “responsible for shooting down at least two Indian Air Force fighters,” while CNN’s Jim Sciutto reported that “at least one Rafale” had been lost, citing French intelligence.

A spokesperson from France’s Ministry of Armed Forces confirmed that Paris is “in close contact with Indian authorities” and is actively assessing the incident and its implications for future Rafale deployments and export prospects.

“We are clearly in the fog of war and an intense information war,” the spokesperson noted. “What we know for certain is that we don’t yet fully know what has happened.”

“There are serious concerns regarding the operational outcomes involving the Rafale, and we are closely monitoring the situation,” the French official added.

The reputational stakes are high for Dassault, particularly as it seeks to deepen its presence in the Indo-Pacific and Middle Eastern markets, with recent contracts in the UAE, Egypt, and Indonesia validating the Rafale’s status as a leading multi-role fighter platform.

Despite the growing swirl of conflicting claims and unverified battlefield narratives, Indian Rafales continue to conduct deterrent patrols and combat readiness operations along contested borders, reinforcing their strategic role as India’s primary airpower asset.

In the wider context, the evolving Rafale-Pakistan narrative reflects the deepening fusion of conventional warfare and information warfare in South Asia, where tactical outcomes are increasingly shaped not just by radar locks and missile salvos—but also by media framing and geopolitical messaging.

With the Paris Air Show set to open against this backdrop, Dassault’s challenge is now twofold: defending the Rafale’s combat record in the skies—and safeguarding its legacy in the global defence marketplace.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA