Fact Check: Did Pakistan really shoot down India’s Rafale jets? Dassault denies CEO made Operation Sindoor comments

Pakistan’s Air Force claimed it shot down five Indian fighter jets during the recent Indo-Pakistan conflict, three of them Rafales. The announcement, which came after India launched Operation Sindoor on 7 May, was widely shared but lacked any supporting evidence. While some reports attributed remarks to Dassault CEO Eric Trappier calling Pakistan’s claims ‘inaccurate and unfounded’, the company later issued a formal denial, stating Trappier had not made any operational or technical comment on OperationSindoor.

“In response to certain press reports quoting Dassault Aviation Chairman & CEO, Eric Trappier, about the Sindoor operation, Dassault Aviation formally denies that Eric Trappier has made any operational or technical comments regarding the use of the Rafale in thisoperation,” the press statement said.

India denies Pakistani claims, confirms losses were limited

India’s Defence Secretary R.K. Singh backed the French statement in an interview with CNBC TV18. He dismissed the plural use of “Rafales,” saying it was “absolutely not correct.” Singh added that Pakistan suffered far more losses, in both human and material terms, and that over 100 terrorists were eliminated during the conflict.

Some Indian jets were lost, but not to enemy fire

In early June, India’s Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar, confirmed that India lost some fighter jets on the first day of Operation Sindoor. However, he blamed it on political constraints, which initially prohibited attacks on Pakistani military targets, allowing their defences to operate freely.

“I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircraft. But I do agree that we did lose some aircraft, and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership,” Kumar said.

This comes as France is fighting what it calls a “disinformation campaign” aimed at discrediting the Rafale. French officials say this effort is being led by Chinese defence attachés who are trying to persuade countries to drop Rafale in favour of Chinese jets.

France’s defence ministry issued a strong statement, warning that this wasn’t just about aircraft performance. “The campaign aimed to weaken France’s image as a strategic, industrial, and technological power,” the ministry said. Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, with 323 exports to countries including Egypt, India, Qatar, the UAE, and Indonesia.