The French Navy has publicly refuted Pakistan Geo TV claims that Indian Rafale jets were downed during Operation Sindoor. We expose the ‘extensive misinformation’ campaign, the misquoted officer, and the geopolitical motive behind the propaganda.
French Navy Debunks Pakistan Geo TV Rafale Misinformation
n a rare and striking intervention, the French Navy has publicly and vehemently condemned a prominent Pakistani media outlet, Geo TV, for spreading “extensive misinformation and disinformation” regarding India’s Operation Sindoor and the combat performance of the Rafale fighter jet. This decisive move by the Marine Nationale provides a robust, international debunking of claims designed to undermine the reputation of the high-profile French-made aircraft and distort the narrative surrounding the recent India-Pakistan Conflict.
The controversy originated from a Geo TV report published on November 21, which sensationally claimed that a French naval commander, supposedly “Jacques Launay,” had confirmed Pakistani air superiority during a May 6-7 aerial engagement. The report further alleged that Indian Rafale Jets were shot down and their operational shortcomings were exposed, potentially linking the outcome to Chinese system support.
The French Navy used its official channels to issue a scathing and detailed rebuttal, systematically dismantling every aspect of the Pakistani media’s narrative. The statement clarified that the officer in question, Captain Yvan Launay (whose name was misidentified in the original report), never consented to any form of publication and that all attributed remarks were entirely fabricated.
Crucially, the French Navy clarified Captain Launay’s actual role: he is the commander of the organic naval air station at Landivisiau, where the Rafale Marine aircraft are based. His presentation at an Indo-Pacific conference was strictly technical, focusing on the Rafale’s general missions and the carrier strike group concept, not operational battlefield analysis of the Sino-India frontier.
