Dassault CEO Eric Trappier Shuts Down Pakistan’s Claim That India Lost Rafales

National News:  Dassault Aviation’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Trappier has dismissed Pakistan’s claim that the India lost Rafale jets during a last month conflict with neibhouring nation's Pakistan, calling these reports “inaccurate.” His remarks came in a conversation with Challenges, a French magazines, Trappier refuted Pakistan's claim that 3 Rafale aircraft were shot down during the May 7–10 conflict between India and Pakistani forces

Pakistan had previously alleged it struck down at least one Rafale, in a showdown following India's Operation Sindoor — a mission aimed at dismantling terrorist camps in Pakistan and Kashmir in retaliation for a terrorist attack in Pahalgam that resulted in 26 deaths. Nevertheless, this claim has been firmly dismissed by both the India and Dassault’s leadership.

Success Is More Than Just Loss-free Operations

Trappier insisted that a successful mission should be measured by whether it meets its goals, not by whether there were losses. “When you operate combat aircraft, you are on a mission. The true measure of success lies in whether the mission was accomplished, not whether you avoided all losses.”

To underscore his point, the Dassault chief drew a historical comparison. “During the Second World War, the Allies sustained losses, yet it was their eventual goals that defined their success.” His view underscores the reality of combat — some losses are to be expected, but this does not diminish the overall success of a mission.

Rafale’s Superiority Among Fighter Jets

General Anil Chauhan, India's Chief of Defence Staff, supported this view at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Air Marshal AK Bharti also addressed questions about the incident, stating, “We are in a combat scenario; losses can happen, but we successfully struck terrorist targets.”

For his part, Eric Trappier maintained that the Rafale remained the world’s best multirole fighter, outperforming many aircraft, including the F-35. “If you need a single aircraft proficient in air-to-air, reconnaissance, nuclear, and ground missions — the Rafale is the best there is.