French MP cites 'loss' of Indian Rafale during conflict with Pakistan, questions SPECTRA's efficacy

File photo used for representation

A French legislator has raised questions in France's National Assembly (lower house) regarding the reported loss of an Indian Rafale fighter jet during the conflict with Pakistan last month.

In a written question published in the Official Journal on May 20, Marc Chavent, representing Ain’s 5th constituency, asked the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs to address the strategic and industrial implications of the incident.

Citing Nato intelligence, Chavent said that India lost one Rafale jet during the military clash with Pakistan.

“Several open and specialized sources—including American analysts and intelligence data from NATO partners—confirm the loss of at least one Indian Rafale, shot down by a PL-15E missile launched from a Pakistani J-10C, equipped with the KLJ-10A AESA radar,” Chavent wrote.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan had last week revealed that India lost some fighter jets while striking terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during Operation Sindoor. He said that Indian forces understood their tactical mistakes, rectified them and hit back at the enemy again two days later.

However, neither CDS Chauhan nor any other military official has particularly acknowledged the loss of a Rafale jet during the conflict.

In his question in the French assembly, Chavent also raised concerns about the Rafale’s defensive systems.

"The SPECTRA electronic warfare system apparently neither detected nor disrupted an attack emitted in spectra that are now standard for low probability of intercept (LPI) radars,” Chavent said, questioning whether France risks seeing “both the technological advantage of the Rafale and the industrial leadership of its aerospace defence base called into question.”

The SPECTRA electronic warfare system on Rafale jets provides advanced threat detection, jamming and decoy capabilities to protect the aircraft from radar-guided and infrared-guided threats.

The French lawmaker further asked the government to clarify whether the new Rafale F5 standard will feature a “substantial overhaul of the SPECTRA system, adapted to the new generations of AESA radars and active guidance missiles". He also asked whether France is considering developing a dedicated "Rafale EW" version, inspired by the US Navy’s EA-18G Growler, for SEAD/DEAD (Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses) missions.

“This reflection becomes all the more urgent given that Chinese 5th generation platforms, such as the J-20 and potentially the FC-31, could be rapidly deployed in the Indo-Pacific region, introducing a capability leap in terms of stealth, sensor fusion, electronic warfare, and multi-domain interoperability,” Chavent added.

The French government is yet to respond publicly to Chavent’s inquiry.

Last month, India and Pakistan were engaged in one of the most intense military escalation in about half-a-century, triggered by the deadly Pahalgam attack in J&K on April 22.

The conflict ended in a ceasefire understanding between both the sides after the Pakistani DGMO reached out to his Indian counterpart. India's air strikes on several Pakistani airbases were seen as a turning point in the conflict.

While India suffered some losses as part of the conflict, its forces inflicted severe damage on Pakistan during the four days of military action.

Defence sources have revealed that the Indian Air Force destroyed six Pakistani fighter jets, two high-value surveillance aircraft, one C-130 transport aircraft, over 30 missiles and several unmanned aerial vehicles during the conflict.

CDS Chauhan had said during an interview that India will give details of the losses inflicted on Pakistan in the near future.