French intelligence services have accused China of orchestrating a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting the Rafale fighter jet, following its combat debut in the May skirmishes between India and Pakistan.
The alleged effort, according to intelligence documents shared with the Associated Press, was aimed at undermining the reputation and export prospects of France’s flagship fighter aircraft, manufactured by Dassault Aviation.
According to the French military and intelligence officials, China’s diplomatic missions, particularly defence attachés stationed in various foreign embassies, played a leading role in disseminating doubts about the performance of the Rafales used by India during the four-day confrontation with Pakistan.
The attachés reportedly held closed-door meetings with security and defence officials from countries that had either purchased the Rafale or were considering buying it, including Indonesia.
The campaign allegedly sought to sway nations toward Chinese-made fighter jets by claiming Indian Rafales underperformed or were even downed during combat.
Pakistan had claimed five Indian aircraft were shot down, including three Rafales – a claim India has not fully confirmed. The French military acknowledges the loss of one Rafale, one Mirage 2000, and one Russian-made Sukhoi.
The Rafale’s first combat losses prompted questions from international buyers, with France scrambling to protect both the aircraft’s reputation and its broader defence credibility. “Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,” said French Air Force Chief Gen. Jérôme Bellanger.
French researchers monitoring digital disinformation reported a flood of AI-generated content, fake combat visuals, and manipulated images circulating online, particularly across newly created social media accounts.
These materials portrayed Rafales in flames, promoted Pakistani and Chinese air superiority, and appeared across platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram.
While there is no direct evidence linking the online campaign to Beijing, French intelligence says the narrative was consistently echoed by Chinese defence officials in face-to-face diplomatic interactions. China’s Ministry of National Defense dismissed the allegations as “groundless rumours and slander.”
China’s alleged smear efforts come amid intensifying competition with Western arms exporters, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where France has sought to expand influence through defence partnerships and high-value sales.
Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales globally, with 323 delivered to export clients, including Egypt, India, the UAE, and Indonesia.
Experts say China’s objective may be to weaken France’s strategic defence ties in Asia and promote its own military platforms. “From a point of view of limiting Western countries’ influence in the Indo-Pacific, it would make sense,” said Justin Bronk, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute.
France’s Defence Ministry characterised the assault on the Rafale as a direct strike on France’s strategic autonomy and industrial reliability. “The Rafale was not randomly targeted,” it said. “This campaign sought to undermine France’s credibility and trusted partnerships.”
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