French Military Expert Vindicates Pakistan’s Tactical Superiority in May 2025 Aerial Engagement

French Naval Air Base Commander Captain Jacques Launay has publicly acknowledged that the Rafale jets lost during the May 2025 India Pakistan air confrontation were downed due to Indian operational errors, not technological inferiority. His assessment highlights Pakistan’s superior battlefield awareness, AEW&C integration, tactical discipline, and effective use of long-range weapons offering a rare professional insight into one of the most complex air battles of the modern era.

In a candid assessment that has sent shockwaves through defense circles, Captain Jacques Launay, commander of the Naval Air Base at Landivisiau, France, has confirmed that Indian Rafale fighter jets were shot down during May 2025 air combat with Pakistan, attributing the outcome not to the technological superiority of Chinese J-10C fighters but to Pakistan’s better handling of the battle situation Geo News.

Speaking at an international Indo Pacific conference, Captain Launay told delegates that the Pakistan Air Force was “much better prepared” when more than 140 fighter jets faced each other in the air during the night of May 6-7, 2025 Geo News. His analysis provides a professional military perspective on what has become one of the most studied aerial engagements of the 21st century.

The Complexity of Modern Air Combat

Captain Launay explained that “it was a very complicated situation in which more than 140 fighter jets were involved. It was very easy to hit an aircraft because a large number of targets were available to both sides. Pakistan handled that complicated situation better than its adversary” Geo News.

This assessment from a commander with 25 years of Rafale flying experience carries significant weight in international military circles. Captain Launay supervises operations at a base with more than 40 nuclear-armed Rafales, 94 naval warships, 10 nuclear submarines, and 190 aircraft, and has participated in operations from the Middle East to Africa and Europe Geo News.

The May 2025 engagement represented the largest aerial confrontation involving fourth generation fighter aircraft in recent history, offering defense analysts worldwide a rare opportunity to study modern air combat dynamics in real-world conditions rather than simulations or exercises.

Operational Excellence Trumps Technology

Perhaps most significantly for the defense industry, Captain Launay’s analysis refutes the notion that Pakistan’s success stemmed from superior Chinese technology. When questioned about the Rafale’s radar performance during the engagement, Captain Launay defended the aircraft’s capabilities, asserting that “there was nothing wrong with the war machine, but the machine was not used properly” Photo News.

This candid admission from a French military professional underscores a fundamental truth often overlooked in defense procurement debates: advanced technology alone does not guarantee battlefield success. The human factors training, tactics, situational awareness, command and control, and operational planning remain decisive in determining combat outcomes.

Captain Launay maintains that the Rafale could compete with and defeat Chinese J-10C fighters in any combat scenario Photo News, emphasizing that the French aircraft’s capabilities were never in question. Instead, the issue lay in how Indian forces employed these sophisticated systems during the engagement.

Pakistan’s Tactical Mastery: A Case Study in Preparation

The Pakistan Air Force’s performance during Operation Sindoor has become a subject of intense study by military establishments worldwide. Armed forces worldwide have conducted studies about the India-Pakistan air combat to gain insights for future conflicts, viewing it as a rare opportunity to examine the performance of pilots, fighter jets, and air to air missiles in active combat Geo News.

What emerges from Captain Launay’s assessment is a picture of exceptional Pakistani operational planning and battlefield management. Handling over 140 aircraft in contested airspace with both sides equipped with beyond-visual-range missiles, advanced radar systems, and electronic warfare capabilities requires extraordinary coordination, discipline, and real time decision making.

Pakistan’s advantage appears to have stemmed from several factors:

Superior Battlefield Awareness: Pakistan’s expanded fleet of Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) systems, particularly the SAAB 2000 Erieye aircraft, provided comprehensive situational awareness across the engagement zone. These platforms enabled Pakistani commanders to maintain a clearer operational picture than their adversaries, allowing for more effective positioning and engagement decisions.

Integrated Air Defense: Rather than relying solely on fighter aircraft, Pakistan employed a layered defense strategy combining fighters, ground-based air defense systems, and electronic warfare assets. This integration complicated Indian targeting decisions and provided multiple overlapping engagement opportunities.

Tactical Discipline: In the chaos of large scale aerial combat, maintaining formation discipline, communication protocols, and coordinated action becomes extraordinarily challenging. Pakistan’s success suggests superior training standards and command-and-control procedures that enabled effective coordination despite the operational complexity.

Effective Use of Stand-Off Weapons: Pakistan’s deployment of Chinese PL 15 long-range air to air missiles demonstrated sophisticated understanding of modern air combat doctrine. These weapons, with ranges exceeding 200 kilometers, allowed Pakistani fighters to engage Indian aircraft before they could bring their own weapons to bear effectively.

The Technology Question: Chinese Systems in Combat

The May 2025 engagement marked the combat debut of several Chinese weapon systems, including the J-10C fighter and PL-15 air-to-air missile. These systems performed credibly, though Captain Launay’s analysis makes clear that technology alone wasn’t decisive.

The J-10C, flying with the Pakistan Air Force, demonstrated capabilities sufficient to challenge one of the world’s most advanced fighters. However, the real story wasn’t Chinese technological superiority but rather how Pakistani pilots and commanders employed these systems within a comprehensive operational framework.

The PL-15 missile’s performance has drawn particular attention. Reports suggest Pakistani forces successfully engaged Indian aircraft at ranges exceeding 200 kilometers distances that reportedly surprised Indian planners who had underestimated the weapon’s effective range. This represents a significant milestone in air-to-air combat, demonstrating the growing sophistication of Chinese aerospace technology.

Yet Captain Launay’s emphasis remains clear: the Rafale, properly employed, remains fully competitive with Chinese systems. The losses India suffered reflected operational mistakes rather than technological inadequacy.

Implications for Defense Procurement

Captain Launay’s assessment carries profound implications for how nations approach defense acquisition. The aviation industry often markets aircraft based on technical specifications—radar range, thrust-to-weight ratios, payload capacities, and advanced avionics. These specifications matter, certainly, but they represent only part of the combat effectiveness equation.

Captain Launay, a seasoned veteran with over 25 years of experience flying Rafale jets in various military operations across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, commended Pakistan’s air defense strategy, noting that the Pakistan Air Force effectively handled the complex situation Pakistan Observer.

For countries evaluating fighter aircraft purchases, the May 2025 engagement offers sobering lessons:

1. Training Matters More Than Specifications: The most advanced fighter becomes a liability in the hands of inadequately trained pilots or poorly coordinated forces. Investment in training infrastructure, realistic exercises, and pilot flight hours often yields greater combat effectiveness than marginal technological advantages.
2. Systems Integration Trumps Individual Platforms: Modern air warfare requires seamless integration of fighters, AEW&C aircraft, ground-based air defenses, electronic warfare systems, and command-and-control networks. Excellence in one area cannot compensate for deficiencies elsewhere.
3. Tactical Innovation Beats Technological Edge: Pakistan’s success stemmed partly from innovative employment of available capabilities rather than pure technological superiority. Militaries that encourage tactical creativity and adapt doctrine to leverage their specific strengths gain advantages over forces that rely on equipment specifications alone.
4. Operational Planning Is Everything: The complexity of managing 140+ aircraft in contested airspace cannot be overstated. Pakistan’s ability to maintain coordination, avoid fratricide, and execute effective engagements while managing this complexity demonstrates the crucial importance of operational planning and realistic training.

India’s Response and Lessons Learned

The Indian government has never accepted that its fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan, but confirmations continue to emerge from different parts of the world Geo News. This reluctance to acknowledge losses publicly may stem from political considerations, but it potentially hampers the learning process essential for military improvement.

Captain Launay revealed that India remains interested in acquiring naval versions of the Rafale, indicating continued confidence in the aircraft platform Photo News. This suggests Indian military leadership separates the aircraft’s inherent capabilities from how those capabilities were employed during Operation Sindoor.

Indeed, mature militaries learn more from setbacks than successes. The May 2025 engagement, while painful for India, offers invaluable lessons that can inform training reforms, tactical doctrine evolution, and operational planning improvements. The question isn’t whether losses occurred all combat involves attrition but whether those losses catalyze meaningful improvements in capability and readiness.

The Human Element in Modern Warfare

Captain Launay’s analysis ultimately highlights the enduring importance of human factors in warfare, even as technology grows increasingly sophisticated. Artificial intelligence, advanced sensors, and autonomous systems continue expanding their roles in military operations, yet the May 2025 engagement demonstrated that human decision making in cockpits, command centers, and strategic planning rooms remains decisive.

Pakistan’s success stemmed from superior preparation, better operational planning, more effective coordination, and possibly more innovative tactical approaches. These are fundamentally human achievements, products of training, experience, organizational culture, and leadership quality.

The Pakistan Air Force’s investment in realistic training, its development of integrated operational concepts, and its emphasis on comprehensive preparation yielded dividends when tested in actual combat. This offers validation for military organizations worldwide that prioritize readiness and training over simply acquiring the most advanced equipment available.

Regional and Global Implications

Captain Launay appreciated the leadership of both India and Pakistan for avoiding a full scale war in a difficult situation, stating “We want peace, but we are prepared to face any attack from any side” Geo News. This recognition of restraint by both nuclear-armed nations deserves emphasis. Despite the intensity of aerial combat and the losses sustained, both countries ultimately stepped back from escalation that could have proved catastrophic.

The engagement has reshaped regional power perceptions. Pakistan, often viewed as the militarily inferior party due to India’s larger defense budget and more extensive force structure, demonstrated that qualitative factors training, tactics, and operational excellence can offset quantitative disadvantages. This realization may influence regional strategic calculations and defense planning for years to come.

For China, the combat debut of its exported weapon systems provides valuable data and potentially boosts the credibility of its defense exports. Chinese embassies worldwide have highlighted the performance of the J-10C and PL-15 in the weeks following the conflict, leveraging real world combat results in their marketing efforts.

For Western defense manufacturers, particularly France’s Dassault Aviation, the engagement presents challenges and opportunities. While the Rafale’s combat loss generates negative publicity, Captain Launay’s clarification that operational employment rather than technical deficiency caused the losses helps protect the aircraft’s reputation. Captain Launay outlined future developments, including an advanced F-4 version of the Rafale, and emphasized that despite advancements in drone technology, manned fighter aircraft will remain crucial until at least 2040 Photo News.

Looking Forward: Technology Versus Tactics

As defense industries worldwide accelerate development of sixth generation fighters, unmanned combat systems, and artificial intelligence enabled warfare platforms, the May 2025 engagement offers a cautionary tale about over reliance on technological solutions.

Yes, advanced technology matters. Modern sensor capabilities, long range weapons, stealth characteristics, and sophisticated avionics provide real advantages in combat. But these advantages manifest only when embedded within comprehensive operational frameworks that include:

• Rigorous, realistic training that prepares personnel for the chaos and complexity of actual combat
• Integrated doctrine that leverages all available capabilities synergistically
• Effective command and control that enables coordinated action across multiple platforms and domains
• Tactical flexibility that allows adaptation to unexpected battlefield developments
• Organizational culture that emphasizes excellence, learning, and continuous improvement

Pakistan’s success in May 2025 validates these principles. The Pakistan Air Force didn’t defeat India through technological superiority it achieved victory through superior preparation, better operational execution, and more effective battlefield management.

Conclusion: A Defining Moment

Captain Jacques Launay’s frank assessment of the May 2025 aerial engagement represents a defining moment in understanding modern air warfare. His professional military judgment, unburdened by nationalistic bias or political considerations, cuts through the fog of conflicting claims to identify the core truth: Pakistan’s success stemmed from operational excellence rather than technological advantages.

For Pakistan, this validation from one of the world’s most experienced Rafale commanders represents recognition of genuine military achievement. The Pakistan Air Force’s performance during those intense hours in May 2025 demonstrates that with proper preparation, training, and tactical acumen, forces can overcome apparent technological disadvantages to achieve battlefield success.

For military professionals worldwide, the engagement offers invaluable lessons about the enduring importance of training, doctrine, and operational planning. In an era of rapidly advancing military technology, these fundamentals remain as crucial as ever.

And for nations evaluating defense investments, Captain Launay’s message resonates clearly: buy the best equipment you can afford, but invest even more heavily in training the people who will employ that equipment. Technology alone does not win wars people do, using technology as a tool to achieve operational objectives.

The thunder of those May nights over South Asia echoes with lessons the world’s militaries ignore at their peril. Pakistan handled a complex, chaotic battlefield better than its adversary. That success represents a achievement worth stu