In a rare moment of candor, Pakistan’s Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Aurangzeb Ahmed, the Director General of Public Relations for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), during one of his press briefings, heaped praise on the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) frontline fighter jet, Rafale. Ironically, he praised Rafale at the same time while claiming that PAF shot down three of these IAF fighter jets.
His remarks praising Rafale were a rare moment during the recent India-Pakistan clash, where both sides employed psychological warfare by continuously downplaying the strengths and capabilities of the other side.
Speaking to the media, AVM Aurangzeb Ahmed said: “It’s not the fact that Rafale is a bad plane. Rafale is an equally potent… a very potent aircraft…if employed well.”
While his remarks carried a subtle jab at the skills and training of the Indian fighter pilots, there was also a silent appreciation of the potency of the French-made Rafale fighter jets. This was unusual as it is not normal practice to praise the capabilities of the frontline fighter jets of your adversary in the middle of active hostilities.
The Rafale is the IAF’s most advanced fighter jet. New Delhi had purchased 36 Rafales from France in 2016 in a government-to-government deal.
The timing of his remarks was even more curious. AVM Aurangzeb Ahmed praised Rafale at the time when Islamabad was claiming that it had shot down six Indian fighter jets, including three Rafales, on the night of May 6.
Following these claims, Dassault Aviation shares were in a free fall, and many defense experts were questioning the aura of invincibility around Rafale fighter jets. In that atmosphere, it would have been easy for the PAF to run down the Rafale fighter and its capabilities.
However, contrary to the popular narrative and expectations from the PAF, AVM Aurangzeb Ahmed decided to heap praise on the Rafale fighter jets, surprising many. This begs the question as to why the PAF decided to praise Rafales?
Why The PAF Praised Rafale Fighter Jets?
French-made Rafale fighter jets are operated not only by Pakistan’s adversary India, but also by a host of countries with whom Pakistan has friendly relations.
Just like India, Qatar operates 36 Rafale fighter jets. Qatar first ordered 24 Rafales in 2015 and then followed with an additional order for 12 more Rafale fighter jets.
Similarly, Egypt, another Muslim country and part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) like Pakistan, operates 54 Rafale fighter jets. Like Qatar, Egypt first ordered 24 Rafales in 2015 and then subsequently ordered 30 more in 2021.
The UAE, another fellow member of the OIC and a country that hosts a large community of Pakistani expats, has also ordered 80 Rafale fighters in 2021.
Indonesia, which is home to the world’s largest population of Muslims, is also set to receive Rafale fighters from France. In fact, French President Emmanuel Macron is in Indonesia to conclude major deals with the country, including the sale of Dassault jets.
Pakistan enjoys friendly relations with all these Islamic countries, and any overt criticism of Rafale jets could have been interpreted as an indirect indictment of the airpower.
Defense Deals With France
Besides, Pakistan was perhaps also careful not to annoy the French defense industrial establishment, as Paris has also enjoyed a closed defense relationship with Islamabad.
France has supplied Pakistan with Mirage III fighter-bombers, Mirage V aircraft, Daphne-class submarines, helicopters, Atlantique naval aircraft, Exocet anti-ship missiles, and a host of other platforms.
In recent years, the France-India defense relationship has strengthened significantly, with the Rafale deal with India playing a pivotal role in this development. However, Islamabad wants to maintain a strong working relationship with Paris, and according to some reports, it could be pursuing defense deals with France.
“Pakistan’s naval capabilities are set to receive a significant boost with the acquisition of French-origin technology. The PNS Hunain and PNS Yamama will both be equipped with the MBDA Albatros NG surface-to-air defence system, along with Thales NS110 surveillance radars,” the Resonant News reported in March this year.
Notably, given the strong strategic partnership between New Delhi and Paris, France maintains a policy of not directly exporting its military equipment to Pakistan. However, to circumvent these limitations, French defence companies are utilizing their extended networks outside France to supply military technology to Pakistan.
Given the current trajectory of the defense relationship between Islamabad and Paris, Pakistan is careful not to make any direct criticism of French defense platforms, especially the Rafale, which has been a star performer for French defense exports over the last decade.
Military Drills With Rafales
Notably, Pakistan has engaged in military drills with Rafale fighter jets on multiple occasions.
During the military drills ‘Victory Spear 2025’ in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s JF-17 Block 3 jet participated alongside Saudi Arabia’s F-15, EF-2000, and Tornado aircraft, as well as French Rafales and American F-16s.
Pakistani JF-17 “Thunder” also trained against French Rafales in ‘Victory Spear 2024.’
Similarly, in June 2021, Pakistani JF-17s participated in the multinational “Anatolian Eagle” exercise. The participating aircraft were Turkish F-16s, Pakistan’s JF-17 “Thunder” Block II, Qatar’s Rafale, and Azerbaijan’s MiG-29 and Su-25 “Frogfoot.”
Later, media reports claimed that during the drills, “the kill-ratio of JF-17 aircraft against the Qatar Rafale aircraft was 6:2, meaning the JF-17 Block II aircraft shot down Rafales six times compared to only two losses in air combat simulations during the exercise.”
These multinational drills provided PAF with an invaluable opportunity to train against Rafale fighter jets. These drills, which culminated in February 2025, just three months before the India-Pakistan air clash, could have provided the PAF with some insights into the Rafales.
Last month, India also ordered 26 Rafale-Marine jets. There is speculation that India can follow with a big order for Rafale fighter jets if France agrees to a complete transfer of technology. If that happens, the Rafale fighter jets can emerge as the mainstay of the IAF for the next decade, unless India looks to invest in domestic fighters or foreign fifth-generation aircraft.
It is perhaps, for these reasons, that even while criticising and poking fun at the Indian fighter pilots, their training and skills, Pakistan is avoiding direct criticism of Rafale fighters. In fact, Pakistan is even praising the capabilities of the Rafale.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
- THIS IS AN OPINION ARTICLE. VIEWS PERSONAL OF THE AUTHOR.
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
