China has used its embassies to raise concerns about the performance of French-made Rafale jets, following the aerial battle between India and Pakistan in May, French military and intelligence authorities claimed.
According to French officials quoted by the The Associated Press, Beijing is attempting to damage France’s flagship fighter aircraft’s sales and reputation.
French officials claimed to have discovered that Chinese embassies are attempting to sabotage Rafale sales by persuading nations that have already placed orders for the jets—most notably Indonesia—to forego the purchase in favour of Chinese-made fighters.
A French military official disclosed the findings of the AP report, on condition of anonymity.
The two nuclear-armed neighbours, India and Pakistan 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, researchers and military officials have been investigating the differences between Pakistan’s Chinese-made military hardware, specifically its warplanes and air-combat missiles, and the weapons India employed in airstrikes against Pakistani targets, including French-made Rafale fighters.
The French defence industry makes a lot of money from the sale of Rafales and other weapons, which also helps Paris fortify its relations with other countries, particularly in Asia, where China is emerging as the leading regional power.
Pakistan claimed that during the conflict, its air force shot down five Indian aircrafts, including three Rafales. French officials claimed that caused nations that purchased the fighter jets from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation to question their performance.
India admitted to losing aircrafts, but it did not specify how many. General Jerome Bellanger, the chief of the French air force, stated that he has seen proof of only three aircraft losses: a Mirage 2000, an older French-made fighter jet, a Russian-made Sukhoi, and a Rafale.
The Rafale, which France has supplied to eight nations, suffered its first combat loss. Bellanger said, “Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions.”
Fighting back against what they alleged was a coordinated online campaign of disinformation and Rafale-bashing by Pakistan and its ally, China, French officials have been fighting to protect the plane’s reputation.
They claimed that the campaign used artificial intelligence (AI)-generated information, video game depictions to mimic alleged fighting, edited photos depicting purported Rafale debris, and viral social media posts.
According to French researchers who specialise in online disinformation, almost 1,000 social media accounts that were created when the India-Pakistan conflict started also propagated a narrative of Chinese technological dominance.
French military officials claimed that they have been unable to establish a direct connection between the Chinese government and the online Rafale-bashing.
However, according to the French intelligence service, Chinese embassy defence attachés repeated the same narrative when they met with foreign security and defence officials, claiming that Indian Rafale jets were underperforming and endorsing Chinese-made weapons.
According to the intelligence service, the defence attachés concentrated their lobbying efforts on nations who have already placed orders for Rafales as well as other prospective buyers that are thinking about making purchases. According to the report, countries who were contacted informed French officials about the meetings.
The Rafale was the target of “a vast campaign of disinformation,” according to the French Ministry for Armed Forces, which “sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design.”
“The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theatre,” the French ministry wrote on its website.
The Ministry of National Defence in Beijing responded to AP’s request for comment on the purported attempt to thwart Rafale’s reputation and said, “The relevant claims are pure groundless rumours and slander. China has consistently maintained a prudent and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability.”