French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday night confirmed the deaths of two pilots in a Rafale fighter jet collision in Meurthe-et-Moselle, French media reported.
One pilot ejected after crashing over northeastern France and authorities have launched a rescue operation to find the missing instructor and student pilot on the second plane.
Macron posted on X, formerly Twitter:
“We learn with sadness the death of Captain Sebastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens in an air accident in a Rafale training mission. The nation shares the grief of their families and brothers in arms at Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier.”
Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said earlier on X.:
“One of the pilots was found safe and sound.”
It was not immediately clear what caused the collision, which authorities said occurred over Colombie-les-Belle, a town in northeastern France.
“The military authorities will report on the causes of the accident,” said the local prefecture.
The Rafale supersonic multirole fighter jet, used for chasing enemy aircraft, striking land and sea targets, reconnaissance and even carrying France’s nuclear warheads, has become a best-seller for the French arms industry.
The Rafale aircraft crashed near Neuvik in south-west France in December 2007. Investigators concluded that the pilot had lost his orientation. This is believed to have been the first crash of a Rafale aircraft.
Two Rafale planes went down in September 2009 while returning to the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier off the coast of Perpignan after completing a test flight. One pilot was killed.
Meanwhile, France has sold the Rafale to Egypt, India, Greece, Indonesia, Croatia, Qatar, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates. Earlier, Lecornu said France had ordered 42 new Rafale fighters, with the first due for delivery in 2027. The French military has ordered more than 230 Rafales since the fighter entered service.
