PARIS: A French commander, Captain Jaquis Launay, has revealed a new dimension that caused the shooting down of Rafale fighter jets during an hour-long India-Pakistan air combat between the night of May 6 and 7, 2025 .
The Indian government has never accepted that its fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan, but more and more confirmations are coming up from different parts of the world.
Armed forces all over the world have conducted studies about air combat between India and Pakistan in May this year to seek insights that could offer an edge in future conflicts. It was a rare opportunity for militaries to examine the performance of pilots, fighter jets, and air-to-air missiles in active combat.
Now, a French Commander not only confirmed the shooting down of Rafales but also explained some reasons that caused global humiliation for India.
Captain Launay is the commander of a Naval Air base at Landivisiau, located between Brest and Morlaix in the northwestern end of France. This base is famous due to a squadron of more than 40 Rafales armed with nuclear missiles.
Captain Launay is supervising 94 naval warships, 10 nuclear submarines, and 190 aircraft, including 40 Rafales at this base. He is flying Rafales for the last 25 years and has participated in many operations from the Middle East to Africa and Europe. He was also part of a nuclear missile test without a warhead last week. One of the Rafales from his squadron successfully fired a nuclear missile from the air to sea.
During a briefing at his Naval Air Base, Captain Launay claimed that Rafale fighter jets used by the Indian Air Force were shot down in May 2025, not due to the technological superiority of Chinese J-10 C fighters.
The captain said, actually, it was a very complicated situation in which more than 140 fighter jets were involved. It was very easy to hit an aircraft because a large number of targets were available to both sides. He said Pakistan handled that complicated situation better than its adversary.
Captain Launay was talking to the delegates of the International session of the Indo-Pacific conference at his Naval Air Base. The sessions of this international conference took place at the Military School of Paris and Landovisiau Naval Air base.
The conference was organised by the Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defense (IHEDN) in collaboration with the Directorate of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (DCSD) to discuss Maritime Security problems, cyber terrorism, and growing threats to peace in Indo-Pacific countries. As many as 55 delegates from 32 countries participated in the Indo-Pacific conference.
Responding to a question, Captain Launay said that a large number of fighter jets were facing each other in the air at one time in May 2025, and the Pakistan Air Force was much better prepared and that’s why they shot down Rafales.
Indian delegate’s remarks ignored
One Indian delegate present there interrupted and claimed that this was all Chinese disinformation and no Rafale was shot down, but Captain Launay ignored her remarks. He said that it’s a good question why the radar system of Rafale never worked properly during that war, and the answer is very simple.
He said that there was nothing wrong with the war machine, but the machine was not used properly. He claimed that Rafale can compete and defeat the Chinese J-10 C in any combat situation.
He disclosed that the Indian government is now interested in buying the Rafales with a naval version which can land at an aircraft carrier in sea. It means that Rafales are still needed. He said that these Rafales can also carry nuclear missiles, and the French Navy is the only force in the world that can use nuclear missiles from an aircraft carrier.
He said that “we monitor the performance of Rafale and other fighter jets all over the world just to learn lessons and make our performance better.”
Captain Launay also briefed the delegates about the working of the different weapons carried by Rafales. He took the participants inside an aircraft hangar adjacent to a big workshop. He pointed his finger towards the fighter jet and said that Rafale is still the best fighter aircraft in the world.
The captain appreciated the leadership of India and Pakistan for avoiding a full-scale war in a very difficult situation. He said that we want peace, but we are prepared to face any attack from any side; that’s why we tested a nuclear missile last week.
While standing in front of a Rafale, he said that the latest technology and artificial intelligence cannot become a substitute for fighter pilots. He said that with or without artificial intelligence, the military leaders will remain responsible for their actions in a war.
The captain said no doubt drones have become an important tool of modern warfare, but pilots will keep flying fighter jets next fifteen years at least by 2040. He said we are aiming to make more modern fighter aircraft because the Russia-Ukraine war has increased threats for the whole of Europe.
He said we are working on an advanced version of Rafale, which will be called F-4. This new fighter jet will be the best in the world.
The last session was addressed by the Rear Admiral Guilliaume Pingent, Commander of the Asia-Pacific Zone. The majority of the delegates were related to the armed forces, police, Intelligence agencies, counter terrorism organisations, and think tanks.
It is important to mention that this writer reported the remarks and published the pictures of Captain Launay after taking permission from him.
(Hamid Mir is a journalist and TV anchor associated with Geo News and participated in the Indo-Pacific conference in France as a war correspondent and security expert)
