ParisFrench military and intelligence officials have concluded that Beijing is trying to damage the reputation and sales of France’s flagship fighter by using its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets after they witnessed combat in India and clashes in Pakistan in May.
Defense attachés in China’s foreign embassies led an effort to sabotage Rafale sales, according to findings from a French intelligence service obtained by The Associated Press. The goal was to encourage other prospective buyers to select Chinese-made aircraft and to discourage countries that had already ordered the French-made fighter, particularly Indonesia, from placing additional orders. A French military officer told AP the results, but only on the stipulation that neither the official nor the spy agency be identified.
The two nuclear-armed neighbors engaged in the most intense conflict in recent memory during four days of fighting in May, which involved dozens of aircraft from both sides. Since then, military authorities and scholars have been investigating the performance of Pakistan’s Chinese-made military equipment, including its airplanes and air-combat missiles, in comparison to the weapons India deployed in airstrikes on Pakistani targets, particularly the French-made Rafale fighters.
France’s defense sector makes a lot of money from the sale of Rafales and other weapons, which also supports the government’s efforts to fortify relations with other countries, particularly in Asia, where China is emerging as the leading regional power.
The Rafale is the target of what France claims is a disinformation campaign.
During the conflict, Pakistan’s air force reportedly shot down five Indian aircraft, including three Rafales. French officials claim that caused nations that purchased the fighter from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation to question their capabilities.
India admitted to losing aircraft, but it did not specify how many. Gen. J r me Bellanger, the head of the French air force, stated that he has seen proof of only three Indian losses: a Mirage 2000, an earlier generation French fighter, a Russian-made Sukhoi, and a Rafale. The Rafale, which France has supplied to eight nations, suffered its first combat loss.
Bellanger stated that all of those countries that purchased Rafales naturally asked themselves questions.
Fighting back against what they claim was a coordinated online campaign of disinformation and Rafale-bashing by Pakistan and its backer China, French officials have been fighting to preserve the plane’s reputation.
They claim that the campaign featured social media messages that went viral, edited images of alleged Rafale debris, artificial intelligence-generated content, and video game representations that mimicked alleged battle. According to French experts who focus on online deception, over 1,000 social media profiles that were created when the India-Pakistan conflicts broke out also propagated a narrative of Chinese technological dominance.
According to French military sources, they have not been able to establish a clear connection between the Chinese government and the online Rafale-bashing.
Chinese officials urged prospective customers to avoid French aircraft, according to an intelligence assessment.
In meetings with foreign security and defense officials, however, Chinese embassy defense attachés repeated the same narrative, according to the French intelligence service, claiming that Indian Air Force Rafales underperformed and promoted Chinese-made weapons.
According to the intelligence service, the defense attachés concentrated their lobbying efforts on nations who have placed orders for Rafales as well as other prospective buyers who are thinking about making purchases. According to the report, countries who were contacted informed French officials about the encounters.
When AP asked the Ministry of National Defense in Beijing to comment on the purported attempt to undermine the Rafale’s appeal, the Ministry responded, “The relevant claims are pure groundless rumors and slander.” China has continuously taken a responsible and cautious stance when it comes to military exports, contributing to regional and international peace and stability.
China has increased its disinformation efforts on international social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and X in recent years. It does this by disseminating narratives from Beijing through phony social media accounts, state-sponsored influencer networks, and websites that impersonate news outlets.
The Rafale was the victim of a massive disinformation effort, according to France’s Defense Ministry, which aimed to highlight the superiority of other equipment, particularly Chinese-made models.
The jet is seen by France as a vital French product.
“The Rafale wasn’t attacked at random. The Defense Ministry stated on its website that the fighter jet is a highly capable aircraft that is exported overseas and used in a high-visibility battlefield.
Because the Rafale is a strategic French offering, it was also attacked. Some individuals aimed to damage France’s reputation and its defense industry and technology base by targeting the aircraft. Therefore, the disinformation effort targeted a national image of strategic autonomy, industrial dependability, and strong relationships rather than just an airplane.
Of the 533 Rafales that Dassault Aviation has sold, 323 are headed for export to Pakistan, Egypt, India, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia, and Indonesia. 42 aircraft have been ordered by Indonesia, and more are being considered.
According to Justin Bronk, an airpower specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank in London, China may be trying to undermine the security ties that France is forming with Asian countries by generating concerns about the equipment it provides.
It would make sense for China to use Pakistani weapon systems’ performance, or at least their alleged performance in downing at least one Rafale, as a tool to undermine its appeal as an export, he said, from the perspective of limiting Western nations’ influence in the Indo-Pacific.
They undoubtedly saw a chance to harm French sales prospects in the area.
