It's a lack of situational awareness and lack of time really, it all happens in a few seconds. The pilot doesn't know if it's savable or not until the last moment. You don't want to be the guy that ejected prematurely when the plane could've been saved. The shame and ridicule would be too much.
Indian Military News, Reports, Data, etc.
- Thread starter bd popeye
- Start date
French commander confirms Pakistan's air superiority in May 2025 combat with India
PARIS: A French naval commander has confirmed that Indian Rafale fighter jets were shot down during May 2025 air combat with Pakistan, attributing the outcome not to the technological superiority of Chinese J-10C fighters but to Pakistan’s better handling of the battle situation.Captain Jacques Launay, commander of the Naval Air Base at Landivisiau, told delegates at an international Indo-Pacific conference that the Pakistan Air Force was “much better prepared” when more than 140 fighter jets faced each other in the air during the night of May 6-7, 2025.
“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. Pakistan handled that complicated situation better than its adversary,” Captain Launay said during a briefing at his base.
The commander made these revelations while speaking to 55 delegates from 32 countries at the Indo-Pacific conference organised by the Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defence (IHEDN) in collaboration with the Directorate of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
Radar issues, not technical inferiority
Addressing why Rafale’s radar system failed to perform properly during combat, Captain Launay said the issue was operational rather than technical. “There was nothing wrong with the war machine, but the machine was not used properly,” he explained, adding that “Rafale can compete and defeat the Chinese J-10C in any combat situation.”When an Indian delegate interrupted, claiming the reports were “Chinese disinformation” and no Rafale was shot down, Captain Launay ignored the remarks and continued his analysis.
Captain Launay has been flying Rafales for 25 years and supervises operations at a base with more than 40 nuclear-armed Rafales, 94 naval warships, 10 nuclear submarines, and 190 aircraft. He has participated in operations from the Middle East to Africa and Europe, and was recently part of a nuclear missile test.
Armed forces worldwide have conducted studies about the India-Pakistan air combat to gain insights for future conflicts, viewing it as a rare opportunity to examine the performance of pilots, fighter jets, and air-to-air missiles in active combat.
The Indian government has never accepted that its fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan, but confirmations continue to emerge from different parts of the world.
India pursues nuclear-capable naval Rafales despite setback
Captain Launay disclosed that India was now interested in purchasing the naval version of Rafales capable of landing on aircraft carriers. Crucially, these naval Rafales can carry nuclear missiles, with the French Navy being the only force in the world that can deploy nuclear missiles from an aircraft carrier.Indian pilots are expected to receive training at Captain Launay’s Landivisiau Naval Air Base, the same facility where he recently participated in a nuclear missile test. The base houses a squadron of more than 40 Rafales armed with nuclear missiles and serves as France’s primary training centre for nuclear-capable naval aviation.
Captain Launay emphasised that Rafales remain among the best fighter aircraft in the world and that France is developing an advanced F-4 version.
Captain Launay appreciated the leadership of both India and Pakistan for avoiding a full-scale war in a difficult situation, stating, “We want peace, but we are prepared to face any attack from any side.”
There was a glaring imbalance in regional representation at the conference. While India sent multiple delegates to the 55-member gathering from 32 countries, Pakistan was represented by one senior journalist. This disparity in presence stood out, given that the May 2025 air combat between the two nations was a central topic of military analysis at the conference.
India is basically entertaining the outsourcing of tactical logistics to foreigners in its air arm.
"Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics." -- General Omar Bradley
Easy to say from France (which has meteors and is at peace) to somebody to whom meteors weren't deliverd.
It's so fun to fight outranged by a factor of 3. Just compete and defeat them.
India needed face saving to be done for them as a condition of future purchases. And so it was done.
Here is the so far clearest video. I tend to agree with the French pilot, that "push-pull" manoeuvre with no altitude reserve was a mistake. On the previous day the pilot executed a negative G roll out of the negative G turn and everything went well.
The video also confirms that there was no stall, the pilot manged to finish the roll and level the plane but there was no altitude left to counter the descent speed .
plawolf
Lieutenant General
Any more details on this? Source?
I think this is the Rafale that crashed near Aklian Kalan village near the airbase at Bathinda. Multiple videos and witness reports showed it circling the area (after being hit) before crashing. Pilot(s) were reported dead, being pulled out of the debris, by witnesses at the scene.
Crash + dead pilot is worse than crash + alive pilot, imo, regardless of the situation save maybe captured by enemy.
Smoke started after aircraft inverted,
IIRC-Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest -USA Civil War1-"Winners get there firstest with the mostest"-could be apocryphal but nonetheless true.
