The French Navy has sharply dismissed and exposed as fake a Pakistan-based media report claiming that India’s Rafale fighter jets were shot down during the clashes linked to Operation Sindoor earlier this year.
The controversy was triggered after Geo TV, a major Pakistani broadcaster, published an article on 21 November, falsely attributing statements to a senior French naval officer. The report bizarrely alleged that a French official had confirmed Pakistani air superiority and the downing of Indian Rafales—claims the French Navy has now labelled “deliberate misinformation.”
French Navy Issues Strong Rebuttal
In an official statement posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the Marine Nationale categorically stated that the article was entirely fabricated. It clarified that all quotes attributed to Captain Yvan Launay were false and misleading.
The French Navy further pointed out that the Pakistani outlet had not only misquoted the officer, but had also identified the wrong person, referring to him as “Jacques Launay.” This, the Navy stressed, exposed the report’s “lack of credibility and intent to mislead public opinion.”
Who Is Captain Yvan Launay?
According to the French Navy, Captain Yvan Launay is the Commander of the Landivisiau Naval Air Station, the main operational base for Rafale Marine aircraft. His responsibilities are confined to naval aviation operations and training—not Indo-Pakistani conflicts.
The Navy clarified that Captain Launay attended a recent Indo-Pacific conference strictly to discuss carrier operations, Rafale Marine mission profiles, and the challenges of high-intensity air warfare. He did not comment on:
- Operation Sindoor,
- Indian Air Force losses,
- Chinese electronic warfare interference, or
- Comparisons between Rafale and Chinese J-10 fighters.
Pakistani Claims: Pure Fabrication
The Geo TV article had gone even further, alleging that Captain Launay:
- criticised India’s handling of the Rafale system,
- claimed Rafale radars “failed” during combat, and
- asserted Rafale could “defeat J-10C in any combat situation.”
The French Navy dismissed all these statements as invented and baseless.
France Warns Against Disinformation
French officials underlined that the misuse of identities of serving officers is unacceptable, particularly when it has the potential to mislead the international community and distort the security narrative of a sensitive region.
They noted that such misinformation undermines:
- diplomatic confidence,
- professional military engagement, and
- public understanding of defence matters.
The incident, they said, illustrates the growing danger of information warfare in the digital era.
A Pattern of Misinformation After Operation Sindoor
The fabricated Rafale story is part of a broader pattern of Pakistan-based outlets amplifying exaggerated or false narratives following Operation Sindoor, during which Pakistan faced significant military setbacks.
Defence analysts say the latest incident reflects an ongoing attempt to target India’s advanced weapons systems—especially platforms like the Rafale—to shape public perception rather than reflect actual battlefield realities.
Conclusion
The French Navy’s firm rebuttal has decisively exposed the Pakistani outlet’s fabricated narrative and reaffirmed the credibility of its own officers. It emphasized that Captain Yvan Launay’s public statements were confined strictly to technical naval aviation discussions, far removed from the false combat scenarios projected by the Pakistani media.
By calling out the misinformation so openly, France has issued a clear warning against the distortion of defence-related narratives and the misuse of official identities for propaganda.
