Pékin mobilise ses attachés de défense à l’étranger pour tirer profit des attaques informationnelles visant le Rafale
Beijing mobilises its defence attachés abroad to capitalise on information attacks targeting the Rafale
During Operation Sindoor, carried out by India to destroy positions held by terrorist organisations in Pakistan, Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, using its Chengdu J-10s armed with PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles supplied by China. And it did so without providing any evidence... Nevertheless, Dassault Aviation's fighter-bomber was then the target of a massive information attack.
That said, the Pakistani military did not necessarily seek to question the qualities of the Rafale, given that several of Pakistan's ‘friendly’ countries have chosen this aircraft to modernise their air forces. Its intention was mainly to suggest that Indian pilots were not up to scratch... unlike its own. ‘It is a very powerful aircraft, provided it is used properly,’ said General Aurangzeb Ahmed, spokesman for the Pakistani Air Force.
For its part, the Indian Air Force (IAF) unofficially admitted that it had lost three fighter jets. One of these was most likely a Rafale. Nevertheless, it achieved the objectives set for it during Operation Sindoor.
"Beyond the losses, the Indian operation must be assessed in terms of its scale and complexity [...] The mere fact that the IAF was able to strike targets despite Pakistan's air defences and carry out subsequent attacks demonstrates its ability to conduct precision coercive operations," summarised the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in a note published on 21 May.
However, via thousands of social media accounts, images created by artificial intelligence and footage taken from video games, the campaign to denigrate the Rafale continued thereafter... and it continues today, with China, as might be expected, pulling the strings.
According to the Associated Press, which cites a French intelligence service [which the agency did not specify], Chinese embassy defence attachés were mobilised to exploit these information attacks against the Rafale, in particular to try to convince countries that had already ordered the aircraft, such as Indonesia, not to buy any more, and to encourage other potential buyers to choose Chinese-designed aircraft.
Of course, Beijing has denied the Associated Press's reports. ‘These allegations are pure rumours and slander. China has always taken a cautious and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability,’ the Chinese Ministry of Defence said.
After keeping quiet, the French authorities finally responded to these information attacks.
"The Rafale was not targeted at random. It is a particularly high-performance fighter jet, sold for export and engaged in a high-visibility theatre. In this type of configuration, the aircraft becomes as much a military vehicle as a political or economic symbol. As such, the disinformation campaign observed relied on networks favourable to the Rafale's industrial competitors. A number of foreign information ecosystems thus relayed narratives aimed at promoting the superiority of alternative equipment, particularly Chinese designs," the Ministry of the Armed Forces responded.
More broadly, the ministry believes that the Rafale is not the only target: this smear campaign also seeks to undermine ‘the national image of strategic autonomy, industrial reliability and strong partnerships.’
In the Senate on 1 July, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, set the record straight. "We have heard a lot of nonsense about the Rafale in the military operations between India and Pakistan. The real feedback we have from state to state and air force to air force is the demand to be able to quickly replenish ammunition stocks, particularly complex missiles, which is a decisive issue for certain manufacturers," he said.
Then, during his trip to Toulon for the commissioning of the Tourville submarine and the inauguration of the Missiessy No. 2 basin, Mr Lecornu hammered home the point in the pages of Var Matin.
During the clash between India and Pakistan, "only one [Rafale] aircraft was shot down and the pilot survived. This had no impact on the marketing of the aircraft. What is interesting is the information war that arose around the loss of the aircraft. Being able to sell fighter jets means playing in the big leagues. And in the big leagues, the level of competition is incredibly fierce," explained the minister.
He added: "The Rafale, which is currently enjoying great success in exports and will continue to do so, has been targeted because it is disruptive. Then again, I note that when an aircraft is shot down in Ukraine, whether it is American or Soviet, no one thinks of writing articles questioning the quality of that aircraft. That says a lot."
.
