The Rafale has been the subject of a vast disinformation campaign orchestrated after the Indo-Pakistani conflict: fake crashes, doctored images, industrial stakes.
Summary
The Rafale, an iconic aircraft of French industry recently purchased by India, has become the target of a vast disinformation campaign. During the May 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan, stories were circulated claiming that Rafales had been shot down. These stories were based on falsified photos and videos taken from video games or generated by artificial intelligence, and were relayed by controlled social media networks. The strategic objectives of this operation are twofold: to damage India’s reputation and to cast doubt on the Rafale as a French export asset. China’s alleged role, via its attachés and diplomatic networks, is to steer potential customers towards Chinese aircraft. For the Rafale and its manufacturer Dassault Aviation, the stakes go beyond the export contract: France’s entire technological credibility is at stake.
The target arena: the Rafale, its image, and its market
The Rafale is a fourth-fifth generation multi-role fighter, produced since the 2000s by Dassault Aviation for the French Air Force and Navy, and exported on a massive scale (India, Egypt, Qatar, Greece, the Emirates, Croatia, Serbia, Indonesia). During the Indo-Pakistani conflict in May 2025, the reputation of the Rafale and India’s air superiority was portrayed as vulnerable. According to French intelligence, the disinformation campaign explicitly targeted the Rafale because it is a “highly visible aircraft, exported abroad and deployed in a highly publicized theater.” This visibility makes it a logical target for hostile communication operations.
French industry is at stake: each Rafale export contract represents billions of euros and strategic ties. Undermining confidence in the aircraft also weakens France’s image as a reliable supplier of high-tech equipment. The fact that these reputation attacks focus on the Rafale indicates the importance attached to this market.
The mechanisms of targeted disinformation
The campaign was deployed across several channels:
- Modified or misappropriated images: photos of aircraft debris presented as belonging to Rafales but actually coming from older aircraft or different contexts. For example, a widely circulated photo claimed to show a Rafale shot down near Bahawalpur in Pakistan, but it was actually a Pakistani Mirage 5 that crashed three weeks before the conflict.
- Videos from video games or generated by AI: simulation of a destroyed Rafale, circulating on X or Douyin, reposted on a large scale, sometimes via newly created accounts (more than 1,000 accounts according to French intelligence).
- A diplomatic/embassy dimension: according to French intelligence, defense attachés at Chinese embassies have lobbied Rafale customer countries and prospective customers to “cast doubt on the performance of the French aircraft” and promote Chinese alternatives.
- Strategic geographic targeting: countries such as Indonesia (which has ordered 42 Rafales) and other potential buyers have been directly targeted to sow doubt.
The sophistication of the operation is remarkable: it combines digital contagion factors (social media virality), diplomatic engineering, and visual manipulation. The choice of the Rafale was therefore no coincidence: the aircraft combines visibility, symbolism, and economic stakes.
The strategic objectives of the campaign
This disinformation operation has two main objectives:
- To discredit India and the perception of air superiority attached to its acquisition of Rafales. India is relying on the rapid modernization of its air force, with the Rafale being a key element. A public image of failure would weaken this momentum. The fact that India has officially refuted the allegations of Rafale losses underscores that even for India, public perception is critical.
- To undermine the Rafale’s technological reputation on the international market. If potential buyers perceive fragility or questionable performance, their decision may swing toward a Chinese (e.g., the J-10CE or other models) or Russian offer. China’s diplomatic intervention with Rafale customers clearly illustrates this.
These objectives combine industrial, geopolitical, and symbolic issues. In an arms market where trust is paramount and decision-making cycles are long, sowing doubt can have lasting effects.
The repercussions for the Rafale and French industry
If the campaign succeeds in damaging the Rafale’s image, there will be multiple repercussions in the medium to long term:
- A loss of export market share: countries will hesitate to place orders or will delay their purchases if the reputation is not restored. For example, Indonesia has announced that it is considering other options following these allegations.
- A distancing of international partners and an increase in the cost of support/logistics to reassure buyers.
- A questioning of French technological sovereignty: the Rafale is often presented as a pillar of European strategic autonomy. By undermining its credibility, this narrative is also weakened.
- Increased diplomatic and media monitoring and response: industry and the state must mobilize resources to “repair” the image, which costs time and money.
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has described the operation as a “vast disinformation campaign” targeting a strategic aircraft and its industrial offering worldwide. In practice, for Dassault Aviation and its subcontractors, this means a tangible business risk.
The Indian-Pakistani context and the “evidence” used
These stories emerged after a period of major tension between India and Pakistan. During Operation Sindoor carried out by India in early May 2025, the Indian Air Force struck targets in Pakistan, and Pakistan subsequently claimed to have shot down Indian aircraft, including Rafales. These claims were then widely reported online. The Indian government formally denied that a Rafale had been shot down.
The lack of factual evidence reinforced the argument that this was a disinformation operation. French intelligence services point to the sudden creation of more than 1,000 social media accounts and the use of AI-generated content or content from video games. We are therefore dealing with a hybrid scenario: military operation, information warfare, and industrial competition.
The challenges of countering such a campaign
For the French government, the manufacturer, and potential buyers, several challenges arise:
- Rapid verification of the facts: distinguishing between a real crash or engagement and a staged event remains difficult in an active conflict.
- Maintaining international credibility: potential buyers must be reassured about the actual performance and reliability of the aircraft and its after-sales services.
- Controlling the digital environment: blocking or neutralizing fake accounts, fake content, and deepfakes requires constant monitoring.
- Adapting the export strategy: the offer must be accompanied not only by technical performance but also by guarantees of reputation and support.
- Finally, an active diplomatic response: denouncing campaigns, informing partners, cooperating on cyber disinformation.
Future prospects and challenges
The battle over the Rafale shows that today, air warfare goes hand in hand with information warfare. For France and its industry, the challenge is no longer limited to technical performance but also includes global perception. The Rafale is at once an aircraft, a brand, and a foreign policy tool. If its image is damaged, the effects can spread to all exported equipment.
In terms of global markets, this operation highlights the fact that reputation is becoming a key driver of competitiveness. Competitors such as China are investing heavily in diplomatic networks and digital influence. Buyers also evaluate this aspect when signing deals worth tens of billions of euros.
Finally, we are seeing a shift towards anticipating attacks on image even before a real crisis, with “pre-disinformation” as a tool of industrial defense. The Rafale is the visible target, but the logic applies to all exportable strategic equipment.
The Rafale and disinformation affair forces us to think differently: a fighter jet is no longer sold solely on its avionics characteristics, but on the perceived integrity of its platform and brand assurance system. Technology alone is no longer enough; informational resilience is becoming a criterion for industrial and strategic success.
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