Latest news with #ÉricTrappier
Euractiv
24-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
‘Arrogant' French have Belgium rethinking FCAS next-gen fighter jet project
BRUSSELS – Belgium is re-evaluating whether to join the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, the country's defence minister stated publicly on Thursday morning, following pushback from the head of French aerospace firm Dassault. Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken fired back at Dassault Aviation CEO Éric Trappier – a major contractor in the FCAS programme – who had publicly stated that Belgium could not join the project if it also purchased America-made F-35 jets. 'The government will evaluate its position on the FCAS project', Francken said in a post on X, just days after Belgium announced its intention to fully join the initiative. 'As a founding member of NATO and the EU, a staunch ally and the host of the headquarters, we have no lessons to learn from arrogant industrialists.' The Belgian government had moved to fully join the French-German-Spanish FCAS programme on Friday. The multi-billion-euro project is one of Europe's largest defence projects, with the aim of developing a next-generation air combat system centred around a fighter jet as well as drones and other complex support systems. At the same time, Belgium has set out plans to fly both American-made fifth-generation F-35 fighters and the FCAS, which is scheduled to be operational by 2040 but which has already faced delays. Trappier, who sees himself as the undisputed leader of the joint FCAS project, described the idea of operating both fighter types as incoherent and accused the Belgians of seeking to score jobs created by the programme while also buying "from the US". Friction between Dassault and the main German partner in the project, Airbus Defence, has recently thrown the project into turmoil. The German and French defence ministers, who are meeting on Thursday, are expected to discuss the programme's troubles at length. Belgium can't buy American F-35s and still join Europe's FCAS fighter jet programme, says French aviation chief "If [Belgium] gives up the idea of buying F-35s, they'd be welcome," the CEO of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, has said. (bts, aw)
Euractiv
23-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
Belgium can't buy American F-35s and still join Europe's FCAS fighter jet programme, says French aviation chief
The Belgian government can't expect to join France, Germany and Spain in developing Europe's Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project if it buys America-made F-35 fighter jets, the CEO of Dassault Aviation, Éric Trappier, said on Tuesday. Speaking at the company's quarterly financial results event, the chief of the FCAS programme's major contractor said a commitment to buying locally-produced defence gear was a major criteria for joining the fighter jet programme. "If [Belgium] gives up the idea of buying F-35s, they'd be welcome, if they are not, then that's really making a monkey out of us," the French aviation executive said. On Friday, the Belgian government gave the green light to a plan to participate in the French-German-Spanish FCAS programme, while setting out plans for an airforce flying both the F-35, a 5th generation fighter jet from the US, and the FCAS jet which should only be ready by 2040. Trappier sees Belgium's plan to request full FCAS membership as incoherent, stating that the Belgians would want to benefit from the jobs created from the programme work "but will buy from the US". Addressing recent speculation about the state of negotiations between Paris and Berlin over the project, Trappier also denied that France was demanding the majority of the work share for the 6th generation FCAS fighter jet programme. 'We're not requesting 80% of the work,' Trappier said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who recently acknowledged discord with Paris over FCAS, is set to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday in Berlin, while their defence ministers meet a day later. (jp)
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First Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Pakistan didn't shoot down India's Rafale during Op Sindoor, confirms Dassault CEO
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier confirmed that no Rafale jets were lost in combat during Op Sindoor, but one encountered technical failure at a high altitude read more (File) Indian Air Force's Rafale fighter jets fly past during an air show at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru in February 2021. Reuters Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier has rejected reports that India lost Rafale fighter jets during a recent military standoff with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. French website Avion De Chasse quoted Trappier as saying that while one Rafale jet was lost due to a high-altitude technical failure, no jets were lost during enemy engagement. The executive admitted that an incident involving one jet occurred 'at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission, with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Additionally, Indian Defence Secretary RK Singh on Monday (July 7) confirmed to Network 18 that it was incorrect to say that India lost Rafale fighter jets during the four-day conflict. When asked about Indian losses during the combat, Singh responded: 'You have used the term Rafales in the plural, I can assure you that is absolutely not correct. Pakistan suffered losses many times over India in both human and material terms and more than 100 terrorists." He also clarified that Indian forces had full operational freedom in conflict. 'No political constraints on our armed forces and they have full operational freedom in conflict,' he said. The first official acknowledgement of Indian Air Force (IAF) losses had come last month from India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan. While speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, he admitted losses but strongly rejected Pakistan's claim of downing six Indian jets, including Rafales, calling the assertion 'absolutely incorrect'. Separately, India's Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar, acknowledged 'some' losses during Operation Sindoor. During a seminar in Indonesia, he addressed a prior speaker's reference to Pakistan's claim that multiple Indian fighters, including three Rafales, were shot down. 'I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircraft. But I do agree that we did lose some aircraft, and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defences,' Capt. Kumar said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD French intelligence officials suspect China played a significant role in stoking doubts about the Rafale's combat performance after Operation Sindoor. According to a report by the Associated Press on Sunday, classified intelligence indicates that Chinese defence attachés have been lobbying foreign governments, notably Indonesia, to reconsider buying more Rafales and switch to Chinese-made fighter aircraft.
The Print
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘No Rafale shot down in combat, India lost one to technical malfunction, probe on': Dassault CEO
However, India has not made any official statement or assertions acknowledging the loss of a Rafale aircraft in non-hostile conditions. The report appeared in a French website Avion De Chasse saying the incident occurred 'at an altitude of over 12,000 metres during an extended training mission, with no enemy involvement or hostile radar contact'. New Delhi: India has lost one Rafale fighter jet, but the incident, currently under probe, was due to a high-altitude technical failure and involved no enemy engagement, says a French report quoting Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier. Last month, India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore had acknowledged that the IAF did suffer losses during Op Sindoor. However, he categorically denied Pakistan's claim of downing six Indian jets, including Rafales, calling the assertion 'absolutely incorrect'. In a separate interview with Reuters the same day, General Chauhan had further added, 'We rectified tactics and then went back on 7th, 8th and 10th—on the 10th in large numbers—to hit airbases deep inside Pakistan. (We) penetrated all their air defences with impunity and carried out precision strikes.' Separately, India's Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar, also acknowledged 'some' losses during Operation Sindoor. Speaking at a seminar in Indonesia, he was responding to a previous speaker who had cited Pakistan's claim that multiple Indian fighters, including three Rafales, were shot down. 'I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircraft. But I do agree that we did lose some aircraft, and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defences,' Capt. Kumar said, referring to directives that restricted Indian military to targeting only terror camps. Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Éric Trappier had earlier rejected Pakistan's claim of shooting down three Rafale jets during Operation Sindoor, calling the allegations 'inaccurate and unfounded'. Refuting Pakistan's claims of downing six fighter aircraft, he had said then that, 'the Indians haven't communicated, so we don't know exactly what happened. What we already know is that what the Pakistanis are saying, three Rafales destroyed is inaccurate.' In the French report published 25 June, Trappier, ahead of the Paris Air Show, had spoken from a technical angle to 'firmly reject any suggestion of operational failure.' He, according to the report, said that the Rafale's SPECTRA electronic warfare suite had detected no signs of hostile engagement at the time. Adding that, data from friend-or-foe systems and flight logs shared with Dassault supported the conclusion that there were no combat-related losses. Trappier had further framed the Pakistani claims as part of a broader disinformation strategy aimed at undermining the credibility of the Rafale fighter, especially as it competes in several ongoing international tenders, including in Colombia, Serbia and Malaysia. He noted that Dassault has never concealed operational losses, citing detailed public reporting from French military campaigns in the Sahel. French intelligence officials further suspect that China played a key role in fueling skepticism around the Rafale's combat performance following Operation Sindoor. According to findings reported by the Associated Press on Sunday, classified intelligence assessments suggest that Chinese defence attachés actively lobbied foreign governments, especially Indonesia, urging them to reconsider additional Rafale purchases and instead opt for Chinese-made fighter aircraft. French military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, believe this effort was part of a broader strategy to undermine Rafale's export prospects. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Pakistan's claim on 3 Rafales shot down 'inaccurate', better than F-35 & Chinese fighters—Dassault CEO
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Business Standard
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Pak claim of downing Rafales during Op Sindoor incorrect: Dassault CEO
Pakistan's claims of downing three Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale combat aircraft in an aerial engagement during the May 7 strike on terror targets inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor are incorrect, Éric Trappier, chief executive officer (CEO) of France's Dassault Aviation, the original equipment manufacturer of Rafale, has said. Acknowledging that he was not exactly aware about the alleged combat losses during Operation Sindoor — given that New Delhi has not communicated anything on the matter — Trappier said in a French-language interview: 'What we do know is that the claims made by the Pakistanis (three Rafales destroyed) are incorrect.' He added: 'We will see whether there were losses or not, and whether the war aims were achieved. When the truth comes out, some may well be surprised.' Speaking last week to French magazine Challenges, ahead of the Paris Air Show, the Dassault Aviation CEO also asserted that combat aircraft are used to carry out a military mission, where success is defined by achieving objectives, not by having zero losses. 'During World War-II, no one claimed the Allies lost the war because they suffered troop losses.' Trappier was responding to a question on whether the alleged loss of at least one Rafale during the aerial clash with Pakistan in early May indicated that the French-designed jet had reached its limits. To a question on whether the Rafale remained among the best combat aircraft in the world, 20 years after entering service, Trappier said while it was complicated to claim any one aircraft was the best in absolute terms, he sincerely believed the Rafale was the best when it came to a single platform capable of conducting air-to-air missions, reconnaissance, air-to-ground strikes, nuclear missions, and carrier operations. In that context, he added that it was better than the American Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jet and far superior to all Chinese aircraft in the market. However, he did acknowledge: 'It's obvious that in a one-on-one aerial engagement with an F-22 (US Air Force stealth air superiority fighter), it's going to be tough for the Rafale.' The Dassault Aviation CEO stressed that the Rafale 'perfectly meets' the needs of both the French armed forces and the countries that purchased it. On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore last month, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan had said India 'rectified' its tactics after the May 7 losses and gained an advantage over Pakistan during the four-day conflict. These were the CDS' first remarks to international media since India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation of the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attacks, which New Delhi said had cross-border linkages. Responding to questions about the loss of Indian jets, the CDS told an international news agency that while losses had occurred, India had carried out strikes inside Pakistan with 'pinpoint accuracy, some even to a metre, to whatever was our selected mean point of impact'. General Chauhan added that India had achieved its objectives. In an interview with another news agency, General Chauhan said that Pakistan's claim of shooting down six Indian fighter jets was 'absolutely incorrect', but did not elaborate on India's losses. The CDS said that Indian forces rectified their tactics and returned on May 7, 8, and 10 in large numbers to strike air bases deep inside Pakistan, penetrating all its air defences with impunity and carrying out precision strikes. He added that the IAF 'flew all types of aircraft with all types of ordnance on the (May) 10th'. In a briefing a day after the May 10 pause in Operation Sindoor, under an understanding reached between the militaries of India and Pakistan, Director General of Air Operations Air Marshal A K Bharti had said that all IAF pilots who took part in the operation were back home. He did not deny losses but underscored that the aim of the operation had been achieved. Responding to a media query on the possible loss of IAF aircraft during the operation and subsequent military exchanges with Pakistan, Air Marshal Bharti said: 'We are in a combat scenario, and losses are a part of combat. The question you must ask us is, have we achieved our objective of decimating the terrorist camps? And the answer is a thumping yes. And the results are for the whole world to see.' He added: 'As for the details of how many numbers or which platform we lost, at this point in time, I would not like to comment on that because we are still in a combat situation. If I comment on anything, it will only be an advantage for the adversary.' Earlier this month, it was announced that, in a first, the fuselage of the Rafale combat aircraft would be manufactured in India — for both domestic and global markets — after Dassault Aviation and Indian private sector aerospace and defence major Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) announced a tieup to manufacture key structural sections of the Rafale at a production facility TASL would set up in Hyderabad, Telangana. In April, in the country's largest ever fighter jet acquisition, India signed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) worth around ₹64,000 crore with France to procure 26 Rafale-Marine combat aircraft to bolster the Indian Navy's firepower. The IAF earlier acquired 36 Rafale jets under a ₹60,000 crore IGA with France signed in September 2016.
