Overview

• Dassault Aviation said CEO Eric Trappier made no operational or technical remarks on Rafale deployment in Operation Sindoor.
• French outlets had misattributed comments to Trappier denying any Rafale shoot-downs and suggesting a single IAF jet was lost to mechanical failure.
• India’s Press Information Bureau fact-checked and refuted viral social media claims of four pilot fatalities and multiple Rafale shoot-downs.
• Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan previously attributed early jet losses on May 7 to restrictive targeting orders that were later revised.
• French intelligence reported a covert Chinese campaign aimed at discrediting the Rafale’s combat record to influence global arms sales.