Talk:Dassault Rafale

:The phrasing by Éric Trappier’s 7 July claim is problematic and risks misleading readers. Presenting the incident as "proven" to be non-combat related is flawed on several levels. The statement that; “SPECTRA detected no hostile engagement” may imply that no missile attack occurred but this conclusion is firstly not supported by independent verification. It's just the claim of the CEO alone.

:The phrasing by Éric Trappier’s 7 July claim is problematic and risks misleading readers. Presenting the incident as "proven" to be non-combat related is flawed on several levels. The statement that; “SPECTRA detected no hostile engagement” may imply that no missile attack occurred but this conclusion is firstly not supported by independent verification. It's just the claim of the CEO alone.

:Also in reality, modern air-to-air missiles like the Chinese PL-15 [https://thediplomat.com/2025/06/the-100-hour-war-india-versus-pakistan/] [https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-chinese-missiles-routed-indias-air-force-over-pakistan] are designed to evade detection. It’s a long-range, beyond-visual-range missile that can remain radar-silent for most of its flight, relying on mid-course guidance from other aircraft and activating its own radar only in the terminal phase. Combined with low-probability-of-intercept radar and high speed, this makes detection extremely difficult even for an advanced EW suite like SPECTRA. '''The absence of detection does not rule out a missile attack.'''

:Also in reality, modern air-to-air missiles like the Chinese PL-15 [https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-chinese-missiles-routed-indias-air-force-over-pakistan] are designed to evade detection and we know a jet doesn't need to be within radar distance to shoot them. There's reliable independent articles like the Diplomat that writes of airborne early warning and control system (EWCS) aircraft reportedly guided the missiles to their targets via China’s XS-3 tactical data links, allowing them to be launched from stand-off distances and - “guided to their respective targets... in order to remain undetected.” This suggests that the PL-15E can operate without relying on its onboard radar for most of its flight, reducing the likelihood of detection by aircraft warning systems. [https://thediplomat.com/2025/06/the-100-hour-war-india-versus-pakistan/] '''So the absence of detection alone does not rule out a missile attack.'''

:Furthermore, Éric Trappier is CEO of Dassault, the manufacturer and seller of the Rafale. This makes him a source with a clear conflict of interest, not a neutral observer. Wikipedia policy- (WP:RS), (WP:NPOV), and (WP:COI) discourages relying on such sources for factual claims in contentious cases involving their own products. In fact, the French source itself acknowledges that Dassault’s communication strategy is meant to shape the narrative and maintain confidence in the platform.

:Furthermore, Éric Trappier is CEO of Dassault, the manufacturer and seller of the Rafale. This makes him a source with a clear conflict of interest, not a neutral observer. Wikipedia policy- (WP:RS), (WP:NPOV), and (WP:COI) discourages relying on such sources for factual claims in contentious cases involving their own products. In fact, the French source itself acknowledges that Dassault’s communication strategy is meant to shape the narrative and maintain confidence in the platform.

:If this version of events had any real credibility, we’d expect confirmation and backings from independent media or military analysts, which hasn’t happened.

:If this version of events had any real credibility, we’d expect confirmation and backings from independent media or military analysts, which hasn’t happened.