Latest news with #ÉricTrappier
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First Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Pakistan didn't shoot down India's Rafale during Op Sindoor, confirms Dassault CEO
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier confirmed that no Rafale jets were lost in combat during Op Sindoor, but one encountered technical failure at a high altitude read more (File) Indian Air Force's Rafale fighter jets fly past during an air show at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru in February 2021. Reuters Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier has rejected reports that India lost Rafale fighter jets during a recent military standoff with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. French website Avion De Chasse quoted Trappier as saying that while one Rafale jet was lost due to a high-altitude technical failure, no jets were lost during enemy engagement. The executive admitted that an incident involving one jet occurred 'at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission, with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Additionally, Indian Defence Secretary RK Singh on Monday (July 7) confirmed to Network 18 that it was incorrect to say that India lost Rafale fighter jets during the four-day conflict. When asked about Indian losses during the combat, Singh responded: 'You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct. Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists." He also clarified that Indian forces had full operational freedom in conflict. 'No political constraints on our armed forces and they have full operational freedom in conflict,' he said. The first official acknowledgement of Indian Air Force (IAF) losses had come last month from India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan. While speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he admitted losses but strongly rejected Pakistan's claim of downing six Indian jets, including Rafales, calling the assertion 'absolutely incorrect'. Separately, India's Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar, acknowledged 'some' losses during Operation Sindoor. During a seminar in Indonesia, he addressed a prior speaker's reference to Pakistan's claim that multiple Indian fighters, including three Rafales, were shot down. '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 to not attack the military establishments and their air defences,' Capt. Kumar said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD French intelligence officials suspect China played a significant role in stoking doubts about the Rafale's combat performance after Operation Sindoor. According to a report by the Associated Press on Sunday, classified intelligence indicates that Chinese defence attachés have been lobbying foreign governments, notably Indonesia, to reconsider buying more Rafales and switch to Chinese-made fighter aircraft.
The Print
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘No Rafale shot down in combat, India lost one to technical malfunction, probe on': Dassault CEO
However, India has not made any official statement or assertions acknowledging the loss of a Rafale aircraft in non-hostile conditions. The report appeared in a French website Avion De Chasse saying the incident occurred 'at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission, with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact'. New Delhi: India has lost one Rafale fighter jet, but the incident, currently under probe, was due to a high-altitude technical failure and involved no enemy engagement, says a French report quoting Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier. Last month, India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore had acknowledged that the IAF did suffer losses during Op Sindoor. However, he categorically denied Pakistan's claim of downing six Indian jets, including Rafales, calling the assertion 'absolutely incorrect'. In a separate interview with Reuters the same day, General Chauhan had further added, 'We rectified tactics and then went back on 7th, 8th and 10th—on the 10th in large numbers—to hit airbases deep inside Pakistan. (We) penetrated all their air defences with impunity and carried out precision strikes.' Separately, India's Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar, also acknowledged 'some' losses during Operation Sindoor. Speaking at a seminar in Indonesia, he was responding to a previous speaker who had cited Pakistan's claim that multiple Indian fighters, including three Rafales, were shot down. '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 to not attack the military establishments and their air defences,' Capt. Kumar said, referring to directives that restricted Indian military to targeting only terror camps. Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier had earlier rejected Pakistan's claim of shooting down three Rafale jets during Operation Sindoor, calling the allegations 'inaccurate and unfounded'. Refuting Pakistan's claims of downing six fighter aircraft, he had said then that, 'the Indians haven't communicated, so we don't know exactly what happened. What we already know is that what the Pakistanis are saying, three Rafales destroyed is inaccurate.' In the French report published 25 June, Trappier, ahead of the Paris Air Show, had spoken from a technical angle to 'firmly reject any suggestion of operational failure.' He, according to the report, said that the Rafale's SPECTRA electronic warfare suite had detected no signs of hostile engagement at the time. Adding that, data from friend-or-foe systems and flight logs shared with Dassault supported the conclusion that there were no combat-related losses. Trappier had further framed the Pakistani claims as part of a broader disinformation strategy aimed at undermining the credibility of the Rafale fighter, especially as it competes in several ongoing international tenders, including in Colombia, Serbia and Malaysia. He noted that Dassault has never concealed operational losses, citing detailed public reporting from French military campaigns in the Sahel. French intelligence officials further suspect that China played a key role in fueling skepticism around the Rafale's combat performance following Operation Sindoor. According to findings reported by the Associated Press on Sunday, classified intelligence assessments suggest that Chinese defence attachés actively lobbied foreign governments, especially Indonesia, urging them to reconsider additional Rafale purchases and instead opt for Chinese-made fighter aircraft. French military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, believe this effort was part of a broader strategy to undermine Rafale's export prospects. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Pakistan's claim on 3 Rafales shot down 'inaccurate', better than F-35 & Chinese fighters—Dassault CEO
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Business Standard
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pak claim of downing Rafales during Op Sindoor incorrect: Dassault CEO
Pakistan's claims of downing three Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale combat aircraft in an aerial engagement during the May 7 strike on terror targets inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor are incorrect, Éric Trappier, chief executive officer (CEO) of France's Dassault Aviation, the original equipment manufacturer of Rafale, has said. Acknowledging that he was not exactly aware about the alleged combat losses during Operation Sindoor — given that New Delhi has not communicated anything on the matter — Trappier said in a French-language interview: 'What we do know is that the claims made by the Pakistanis (three Rafales destroyed) are incorrect.' He added: 'We will see whether there were losses or not, and whether the war aims were achieved. When the truth comes out, some may well be surprised.' Speaking last week to French magazine Challenges, ahead of the Paris Air Show, the Dassault Aviation CEO also asserted that combat aircraft are used to carry out a military mission, where success is defined by achieving objectives, not by having zero losses. 'During World War-II, no one claimed the Allies lost the war because they suffered troop losses.' Trappier was responding to a question on whether the alleged loss of at least one Rafale during the aerial clash with Pakistan in early May indicated that the French-designed jet had reached its limits. To a question on whether the Rafale remained among the best combat aircraft in the world, 20 years after entering service, Trappier said while it was complicated to claim any one aircraft was the best in absolute terms, he sincerely believed the Rafale was the best when it came to a single platform capable of conducting air-to-air missions, reconnaissance, air-to-ground strikes, nuclear missions, and carrier operations. In that context, he added that it was better than the American Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jet and far superior to all Chinese aircraft in the market. However, he did acknowledge: 'It's obvious that in a one-on-one aerial engagement with an F-22 (US Air Force stealth air superiority fighter), it's going to be tough for the Rafale.' The Dassault Aviation CEO stressed that the Rafale 'perfectly meets' the needs of both the French armed forces and the countries that purchased it. On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore last month, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan had said India 'rectified' its tactics after the May 7 losses and gained an advantage over Pakistan during the four-day conflict. These were the CDS' first remarks to international media since India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation of the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attacks, which New Delhi said had cross-border linkages. Responding to questions about the loss of Indian jets, the CDS told an international news agency that while losses had occurred, India had carried out strikes inside Pakistan with 'pinpoint accuracy, some even to a metre, to whatever was our selected mean point of impact'. General Chauhan added that India had achieved its objectives. In an interview with another news agency, General Chauhan said that Pakistan's claim of shooting down six Indian fighter jets was 'absolutely incorrect', but did not elaborate on India's losses. The CDS said that Indian forces rectified their tactics and returned on May 7, 8, and 10 in large numbers to strike air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrating all its air defences with impunity and carrying out precision strikes. He added that the IAF 'flew all types of aircraft with all types of ordnance on the (May) 10th'. In a briefing a day after the May 10 pause in Operation Sindoor, under an understanding reached between the militaries of India and Pakistan, Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal A K Bharti had said that all IAF pilots who took part in the operation were back home. He did not deny losses but underscored that the aim of the operation had been achieved. Responding to a media query on the possible loss of IAF aircraft during the operation and subsequent military exchanges with Pakistan, Air Marshal Bharti said: 'We are in a combat scenario, and losses are a part of combat. The question you must ask us is, have we achieved our objective of decimating the terrorist camps? And the answer is a thumping yes. And the results are for the whole world to see.' He added: 'As for the details of how many numbers or which platform we lost, at this point in time, I would not like to comment on that because we are still in a combat situation. If I comment on anything, it will only be an advantage for the adversary.' Earlier this month, it was announced that, in a first, the fuselage of the Rafale combat aircraft would be manufactured in India — for both domestic and global markets — after Dassault Aviation and Indian private sector aerospace and defence major Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) announced a tieup to manufacture key structural sections of the Rafale at a production facility TASL would set up in Hyderabad, Telangana. In April, in the country's largest ever fighter jet acquisition, India signed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) worth around ₹64,000 crore with France to procure 26 Rafale-Marine combat aircraft to bolster the Indian Navy's firepower. The IAF earlier acquired 36 Rafale jets under a ₹60,000 crore IGA with France signed in September 2016.
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Business Standard
15-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Pak claim of downing 3 Rafales during Op Sindoor incorrect: Dassault CEO
Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier says Rafale is better than the American F-35 stealth jet and far superior to all Chinese aircraft in the market when it comes to being an omnirole aircraft Delhi Listen to This Article Pakistan's claims of downing three Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale combat aircraft in an aerial engagement during the May 7 strike on terror targets inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor are incorrect, Éric Trappier, chief executive officer (CEO) of France's Dassault Aviation, the original equipment manufacturer of Rafale, has said. Acknowledging that he was not exactly aware about the alleged combat losses during Operation Sindoor — given that New Delhi has not communicated anything on the matter — Trappier said in a French-language interview: 'What we do know is that the claims made by the Pakistanis (three Rafales destroyed) are incorrect.'
India.com
15-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Pakistan Lying About Shooting Down Rafales During Operation Sindoor: Dassault CEO
New Delhi: Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier has strongly rejected Pakistan's claims that it shot down three Indian Rafale fighter jets during the recent military clash under Operation Sindoor. Speaking to French magazine Challenges just before the Paris Air Show, Trappier said, 'The reports of Indian Rafales being lost are inaccurate.' He expressed strong confidence in the Rafale's capabilities, highlighting its operational excellence and survivability in combat situations. Trappier also stated that while the Rafale might face challenges against the US F-22 due to its stealth and air superiority, it is superior to the F-35 in versatility and better than any Chinese fighter jet currently available. Pakistan's Changing Statements and Lack of Evidence Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made contradicting statements about the number of Indian Rafales shot down. While Pakistani Air Force officials initially claimed three Rafales were destroyed, the Prime Minister later said in Azerbaijan that four Rafales had been shot down. In some speeches, he even claimed as many as six Indian aircraft were downed, but these numbers have not been consistent. Despite these claims, Pakistan has not provided any concrete evidence to support the claims that Indian jets, including Rafales, were shot down. Fact-checking by independent analysts and the Indian government has found no credible proof, such as wreckage or verified imagery, to verify Pakistan's statements. However, the images and videos circulated online were later debunked as old, unrelated, or manipulated content. Indian Response India has officially denied Pakistan's claims of shooting down multiple jets. In an interview with Bloomberg, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan categorically said that India was able to understand the tactical mistake it made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days flying all its jets again, carrying out long-range strikes. Reports on Pakistani Losses Some Indian publications have reported that Pakistan lost several of its own aircraft during the conflict, citing official sources. However, there has been no official confirmation from the Indian government about these claims. What is confirmed, though, is the loss of at least one Pakistani Saab 2000 Erieye Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Retired Pakistani Air Marshal Masood Akhtar admitted in an interview that this high-value surveillance plane was destroyed during India's Operation Sindoor on the night of May 9–10 in Bholari. Background: Operation Sindoor India launched Operation Sindoor in response to a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists on April 22. On May 7, Indian forces targeted nine terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir using precision airstrikes. The operation aimed to send a strong message against cross-border terrorism while avoiding escalation by steering clear of Pakistani military installations.
