Paris: A high-ranking French intelligence official told CNN that one Rafale fighter jet operated by the Indian Air Force was downed by Pakistan Air Force (PAF), in what would mark the first time that one of the sophisticated French-made warplanes has been lost in combat.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Pakistan has announced having shot down five Indian Air Force jets in retaliation for Indian strikes, including three Rafales. The French official told CNN that French authorities were looking into whether more than one Rafale jets were shot down by Pakistan.
Pictures taken of parts of an aircraft that crashed in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir show the label of a French manufacturer.
Before this latest escalation, India had 36 Rafale jets in its Air Force, purchased from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation.
The French military has not officially commented on the incident. However, the company’s stock prices did take a hit, plummeting 6 per cent after Pakistan announced to have downed three Rafale jets.
According to media reports, the sharp contrast in investor sentiment could be a sign of global market confidence in the capabilities of PAF and performance of the JF-17 and J-10C jets, developed in cooperation with China.
