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Pakistan’s claims that India lost Rafale fighters during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 have suffered yet another setback, as Indian Air Force (IAF) documents reveal that all 36 aircraft acquired under the 2016 India-France deal remain operational and in service.
Air Headquarters has issued Requests for Proposal (RFPs) to French manufacturers Dassault Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines seeking a five-month “bridge support” package for the entire Rafale fleet beyond September 18, 2026, reliable Ministry of Defence sources told BharatShakti. However, the tender documents are not available on the MoD’s e-procurement portal.
The RFPs, dated June 12 and June 15, state that the support arrangement is intended to sustain the operations of all 36 Rafale aircraft at an annual utilisation rate of 150 flying hours per aircraft. The proposal covers an aggregate of 2,250 flying hours over five months. It includes maintenance, consumables, spares and technical support required to keep the fleet operational until a longer-term sustainment arrangement is put in place.
The documents assume the availability of the complete fleet of 36 fighters procured from France under the 2016 inter-governmental agreement, effectively undercutting Pakistan’s repeated assertions that multiple Rafales were shot down during Operation Sindoor.
Islamabad and pro-Pakistan social media handles had claimed that several Indian Rafales were destroyed during the operation launched in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.
Indian officials had dismissed the allegations as disinformation, and aircraft carrying tail numbers previously claimed by Pakistani accounts to have been lost have subsequently been seen participating in flying activities, including during the Republic Day parade on January 26 this year.
The latest tender marks the first official maintenance-related paperwork to surface after Operation Sindoor, explicitly catering to the sustainment of the entire Rafale inventory, reinforcing India’s position that no Rafale fighter was lost during the operation.
Team BharatShakti
