How China, Pakistan Ran Joint Psyops To Target Rafale Fighter Jets Used During Op Sindoor

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Last Updated:July 08, 2025, 07:00 IST

This has revealed Chinese ambition to penetrate the tier 1 weapons market, while the operation was employed by the DG ISPR to promote Chinese weaponrycordin

A joint psychological operation by China and Pakistan has targeted the French-made Rafale fighter jets acquired by India.

This strategic move has revealed Chinese ambition to penetrate the tier 1 weapons market, News18 has learnt. The operation, disguised as a wartime fallout, was employed by the DG ISPR to promote Chinese weaponry.

According to top intelligence sources, China exposed the blueprint of its weapon marketing laboratory and offered personal bribes to key decision-makers to cancel the Rafale deal.

CNN-News18 had previously reported on Operation Sindoor was a live testing ground for Chinese weapons that China aims to upgrade. Top intelligence sources indicated that Chinese defence attachés worldwide pressured Rafale clients like Indonesia, Serbia, and Egypt to cancel or reconsider their orders, citing poor combat performance of the Rafale jets.

The sources said in contrast, China offered up to 50 per cent discounts on J-35A stealth jets, showcasing Pakistan’s endorsement as proof of quality. To reinforce their claims, video game simulations and CGI wreckage clips were spread across Telegram, Weibo, and X, depicting the Rafale’s defeats, they said.

They said additionally, forged diplomatic cables alleged that France advised India to ground the Rafales, a claim denied by Dassault and the French defence ministry. Rafale represents European strategic autonomy, and by undermining it, China has positioned itself as a reliable regional supplier.

Four days of India-Pakistan clashes in May were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, and included air combat that involved dozens of aircraft from both sides. Military officials and researchers have since been digging for details of how Pakistan’s Chinese-made military hardware – particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles – fared against weaponry that India used in airstrikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters.

WHAT DOES FRANCE KNOW?

The Associated Press reported the findings from a French intelligence service that revealed that China deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of the Rafale jets after they were used in combat during the military standoff between India and Pakistan in May.

French officials have been battling to protect the plane from reputational damage, pushing back against what they allege was a concerted campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally China.

They said the campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat.

In recent years, China has stepped up disinformation campaigns on global social media platforms like X, Instagram or Facebook, using networks of state-sponsored influencers, sites that pose as news organisations, and fake social media accounts to spread narratives from Beijing.

France’s Defence Ministry said the Rafale was targeted by “a vast campaign of disinformation" that “sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design."

“The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theater," the Defense Ministry wrote on its website. “The Rafale was also targeted because it represents a strategic French offering. By attacking the aircraft, certain actors sought to undermine the credibility of France and its defense industrial and technological base. The disinformation campaign therefore did not merely target an aircraft, but more broadly a national image of strategic autonomy, industrial reliability, and solid partnerships."

Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 for export to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is considering buying more.