Pakistan’s Assertion of Rafale Shoot-Down Debunked by Dassault Chief

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): French aerospace company Dassault Aviation's chairman and CEO Eric Trappier has for the first time reacted to claims of shooting down a Rafale fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) during Operation Sindoor. He clarified that Pakistan's claim of shooting down three Rafale aircraft is completely false and baseless.

Pakistan was humiliated again! It had claimed to have shot down Rafale; Dassault exposed the lie : In an interview Trappier said, "The Indian side has not given any official information about this, so it would be premature to comment on the exact circumstances of the incident. But we can say that this claim of Pakistan is baseless." Eric Trappier stressed on the capabilities of Rafale and said that it is one of the best multi-role fighter jets in the world. He said, "Rafale is not only better than the American F-35, but is also technically and tactically superior to all Chinese fighter planes."

He also added that 'zero loss' is not expected in war, but the real objective is to achieve strategic goals. Citing the example of World War II, he said that the loss of soldiers does not mean the loss of war. The Dassault CEO described Rafale as an 'omnirole' (capable in every role) fighter jet. He said, "Even though Rafale is considered weaker than stealth fighters like the American F-22, if an aircraft is needed that is equally efficient in air-to-air, air-to-ground, nuclear attacks and maritime missions - then Rafale is the most suitable choice."

Trappier also said that Rafale has fully met the military needs of France and its other customer countries. He said that its multi-role capability is what makes it special - and this is not its weakness, but its biggest strength.