French intelligence has accused China of running a state-sponsored disinformation campaign through its embassies to discredit the Rafale fighter jet, following the aircraft’s successful use by India in ‘Operation Sindoor’.
Key Points:
- French intelligence has reportedly uncovered a state-sponsored disinformation campaign run by China aimed at sabotaging the reputation of the French-made Rafale fighter jet.
- The campaign was allegedly triggered by India’s successful use of the Rafale jets in a military clash with Pakistan, dubbed ‘Operation Sindoor’, in May 2025.
- China is accused of using its network of foreign embassies to orchestrate the spread of “fake news” to undermine global confidence in the advanced French aircraft.
- The CEO of Dassault Aviation, the Rafale’s manufacturer, has publicly refuted claims from Pakistan—allegedly part of the campaign—that it had shot down Indian Rafale jets, calling the assertion ‘completely inaccurate’.
PARIS – A high-stakes shadow war of information has been dragged into the light, with French intelligence accusing China of orchestrating a sophisticated, global disinformation campaign to discredit France’s premier fighter jet, the Rafale. The explosive allegations suggest that Beijing, rattled by the jet’s combat performance in the hands of the Indian Air Force, activated its network of foreign embassies to wage a war of lies, aiming to cripple the Rafale’s reputation and carve out a market for its own military hardware.
The plot, worthy of a geopolitical thriller, was reportedly set in motion following India’s successful deployment of its new Rafale fleet during ‘Operation Sindoor’, a military flare-up with regional rival Pakistan in May 2025. The effectiveness of the French-made jets in a real-world combat scenario appears to have sent shockwaves to Beijing, prompting a coordinated international effort to tarnish the aircraft’s image. This is not merely a battle of corporate reputations; it’s a new front in the geopolitical struggle for military and economic dominance, fought with propaganda and deceit.
The ‘Operation Sindoor’ Trigger
The flashpoint for this clandestine campaign was the skies over the contested Indo-Pakistani border. In May 2025, during a period of heightened tensions referred to as ‘Operation Sindoor’, India unleashed its newly acquired Rafale fighters. The jets, the crown jewel of the Indian Air Force’s modernization efforts, performed with lethal efficiency, giving India a decisive technological edge. For military planners and potential buyers around the world, this was the ultimate real-world advertisement for the French aircraft—a proven, battle-tested platform.
It was this very success, according to intelligence reports, that was perceived as a direct threat in Beijing. China, a close ally of Pakistan and a major competitor in the global arms market, saw the Rafale’s triumph as a significant setback. A world impressed by the Rafale is a world less likely to buy Chinese-made alternatives. The response, as alleged by the French, was not to compete on technical merit but to launch a subversive campaign to rewrite the narrative. If you can’t beat the jet, beat its reputation. Following the operation, Pakistan began making bold claims that it had shot down Indian Rafale jets, a narrative that intelligence sources now allege was part of a coordinated psychological operation, or ‘psyop’, conducted jointly with China.
Beijing’s Embassy-Led War of Words
The method of attack, as outlined in the intelligence leaks, is what elevates this from typical online mudslinging to an act of state-sponsored aggression. China is accused of weaponizing its diplomatic missions, turning its embassies from centers of diplomacy into hubs of disinformation. According to the reports, these embassies were tasked with disseminating ‘fake news’ and carefully crafted propaganda designed to sow doubt about the Rafale’s capabilities, reliability, and combat record.
The objective was twofold and brutally simple. First, to neutralize the positive press the Rafale had garnered from ‘Operation Sindoor’. Second, and more critically, to create uncertainty in the minds of potential international buyers. The multi-billion-dollar fighter jet market is fiercely competitive. Nations considering a major purchase like the Rafale conduct rigorous evaluations. By injecting false or misleading data into the ecosystem—rumors of technical failures, exaggerated vulnerabilities, or fabricated combat losses—China allegedly hoped to steer potential customers away from the French offering and towards its own fighter jets. It was a calculated campaign of commercial sabotage disguised as geopolitical commentary.
“Completely Inaccurate”: Dassault Strikes Back
As the whispers and false claims began to circulate, the manufacturer of the Rafale, French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation, was forced to step in and publicly defend its flagship product. On June 15, 2025, the company’s CEO broke his silence to deliver a powerful and unequivocal rebuttal. Responding directly to Pakistan’s claims of having downed Indian Rafales, he branded the assertion as ‘completely inaccurate’.
In a firm statement, the unnamed chief executive clarified that the reports were baseless and that no Indian Rafales had been lost. This was not a carefully worded corporate denial; it was a direct, forceful refutation of the core lie being propagated by the campaign. Dassault’s intervention was a critical move to counter the disinformation with verifiable facts, challenging the credibility of the sources spreading the falsehoods. It drew a clear line in the sand, pitting the reputation of a leading global defense manufacturer against the alleged propaganda of a state-sponsored campaign. For Dassault, protecting the Rafale’s untarnished combat record was paramount.
The exposure of this alleged plot reveals the fragile nature of truth in an era of great power competition. The battle for influence is no longer confined to traditional battlefields; it is being fought in news headlines, on social media, and through the shadowy corridors of diplomatic missions. The accusations against China paint a picture of a nation willing to deploy its entire state apparatus to undermine a commercial rival, highlighting the cutthroat stakes of the international arms trade. While Dassault has fought back with the truth, the incident serves as a chilling warning: in the 21st century, the most advanced weaponry can still be targeted by the oldest weapon of all—a well-told lie.