The French Navy issued a detailed rebuttal on Sunday after a Pakistani publication cited fake sources to claim ‘air superiority’ during Operation Sindoor. The article claimed that a French official had confirmed the military might showcased by Islamabad earlier this year. The remarks came days after a US report indicated that China had also run a disinformation drive against Rafale jets following the clash in May.
‘Extensive misinformation’
“These statements were attributed to Captain Launay who never gave his consent for any form of publication. The article contains extensive misinformation and disinformation,” began a detailed X thread from the French Navy.
The military handle also included screenshots of the ‘fake’ Pakistani media article and elaborated on several incorrect details. The post explained that even the name of the Navy Captain quoted in the article was incorrect. It also noted that the officer had neither confirmed nor denied claims of Indian aircraft being shot down upon being asked about Operation Sindoor.
“First name is Yvan, not Jacquis. Contrary to what has been established in the article, his responsibilities are limited to commanding the organic naval air station where the French Rafale Marine aircraft are stationed. Captain Yvan Launay presented the assets of his naval air base, the missions of the Rafale fighter jet, and the french carrier strike group concept…He refused to comment on possible jamming of the Indian Rafale by Chinese systems,” the military added.
A final post on the same thread added that Captain Launay had “expressed his point of view as a fighter pilot on the cognitive overload that pilots can face in aerial combat due to the large amount of information coming into the cockpit — which can lead to a decrease in situational awareness, regardless of the number of aircraft”.
China running disinformation campaign?
China ran a disinformation campaign during Operation Sindoor using fake social media accounts to propagate AI images of supposed French Rafale aircraft “debris” in favour of its own J-35s, according to a US Commission report. The latest report to Congress of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission alleged that China used AI images of supposed “debris” from the planes that China’s weaponry destroyed.”
Following the May 2025 India-Pakistan border crisis, China initiated a disinformation campaign to hinder sales of French Rafale aircraft in favor of its own J-35s, using fake social media accounts to propagate AI images of supposed “debris” from the planes that China’s weaponry destroyed,” read the report.
According to the over 700-page report, Chinese embassies “hailed the success” of its systems in the India-Pakistan clash, seeking to bolster weapons sales.
