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Agence France-Presse

Two French pilots died on Wednesday after their Rafale fighter planes collided in mid-air in eastern France, President Emmanuel Macron said, in a rare accident involving the cutting-edge military aircraft.
One pilot ejected following the crash over northeastern France, but authorities had launched a desperate search for a missing instructor and a student pilot on the second aircraft.
“We learn with sadness the death of Captain Sebastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens in an air accident in a Rafale training mission,” Macron posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“The nation shares the grief of their families and brothers in arms at Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier” in eastern France, he added.
“One of the pilots was found safe and sound,” Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said earlier on X.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collision that authorities said occurred over Colombey-les-Belles, a town in northeastern France.
“The military authorities will report on the causes of the accident,” said the local prefecture.
The supersonic Rafale “multi-role” fighter – used to hunt enemy planes, strike ground and sea targets, carry out reconnaissance and even carry France’s nuclear warheads – has become a bestseller for the French arms industry.
Accidents involving Rafale jets are rare.
“We heard a loud noise, around 12.30pm,” said Patrice Bonneaux, deputy mayor of Colombey-les-Belles. It was not the usual sonic boom of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier, he said. “It was a strange noise, a percussive sound”.
“I assumed that two planes had collided, but we didn’t believe it,” he said, adding that a road bordering a nearby forest had been cordoned off.

In December 2007, a Rafale plane crashed near Neuvic in southwestern France. Investigators concluded that the pilot had become disoriented.
That was believed to be the first crash of a Rafale.
In September 2009, two Rafale aircraft went down as they flew back to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Perpignan after completing a test flight. One pilot died.
France has sold the Rafale to Egypt, India, Greece, Indonesia, Croatia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates.
Lecornu said in January that France had ordered 42 new Rafale fighter jets, with the first to be delivered in 2027. The French military has now ordered more than 230 Rafales since the jet went into service.
Macron has urged defence manufacturers to boost production and innovation as Europe seeks to increase arms supplies to buttress Ukraine, which has been struggling to fight off Russia’s invasion, now in its third year.


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2 French pilots die after Rafale fighter jets collide in mid-air

Two French Rafales fighters fly during an international military exercise with the Indian navy off the coast of France in May 2017. Photo: AFP

French gendarmes and French military vehicles stand beside the forest in Autreville, eastern France, on Wednesday after a crash between two French military Rafale jets. Photo: AFP

A helicopter from the French Air Force takes part in a search operation in Autreville, eastern France, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

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A US Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II, same as the one that crashed. File photo: AFP

The F-35 Lightning II jet is coveted by US allies around the world. File photo: AP

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The Key Lime Air Metroliner sustained substantial damage to the tail section. Photo: CBS Denver via AP

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In this photo provided by South Metro Fire Rescue, emergency personnel work at the scene where a single engine plane landed after a mid-air collision near Denver, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Federal officials say two airplanes collided but that there are no injuries. The collision between a twin-engine Fairchild Metroliner and a single-engine Cirrus SR22 happened as both planes were landing, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Key Lime Air, which owns the Metroliner, says its aircraft sustained substantial damage to the tail section but that the pilot was able to land safely at Centennial Airport. (South Metro Fire Rescue via AP)

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Recovered debris from the Osprey crash last November. File photo: AFP

News

World

Europe

Another pilot is safe after the rare accident involving the hi-tech planes, which are used to hunt enemy aircraft and carry nuclear warheads


Another pilot is safe after the rare accident involving the hi-tech planes, which are used to hunt enemy aircraft and carry nuclear warheads.


France

Emmanuel Macron

Defence

Aviation