India, Dassault at loggerheads over Rafale performance against Pakistan: US media

A recent report in the American magazine The National Interest highlights growing tensions between India and France over the performance of Dassault Rafale fighter jets during the India-Pakistan conflict.

According to the report, the Indian government is reportedly dissatisfied with the jet’s combat performance, while France attributes any issues to pilot error rather than flaws in the aircraft’s design.

Titled “India and France Are At Each Other’s Throats Over the Dassault Rafale Fighter,” the report claims that Paris is pushing back against New Delhi’s criticism, suggesting that shortcomings were due to maintenance issues and pilot mistakes rather than deficiencies in France’s most advanced fighter jet.

“Dassault’s auditors want to inspect the Indian fleet of Rafales to ensure that there are no technical problems the Indian Air Force (IAF) may have overlooked. However, India is refusing to allow Dassault’s audit team,” the report stated.

A blame game appears to be underway, with both sides trading accusations. Despite India’s continued diplomatic pressure, France has reportedly refused to provide access to the Rafale’s source code. According to The National Interest, Indian officials suspect the French audit team’s real objective is to deflect responsibility for the jets’ underperformance onto the IAF.

Some analysts have speculated that the Rafales themselves may not be at fault. Instead, they suggest that inadequate pilot training and years of lax maintenance standards within the IAF could be the underlying issues.

Following the Rafale’s disappointing showing during the India-Pakistan standoff, the Indonesian government has reportedly initiated its own audit of a recent deal with Dassault, concerned by the aircraft’s alleged shortcomings.