By Jennifer Amarachi
Two French Rafale planes crashed in midair on Wednesday in a rare mishap involving the cutting-edge military aircraft, prompting authorities to launch a desperate hunt for two crew members.
An air force spokesman in Paris told AFP that the two supersonic jets came from the Saint-Dizier air base.
According to reports, one pilot ejected after the crash over northeastern France, while an instructor and a student pilot from the second jet were missing.
Sebastien Lecornu, France’s Defence Minister, stated on X that “one of the pilots was discovered safe and sound.
“The search is still underway” following the disaster, he continued, thanking the military troops and police who assisted in the effort.
It was unclear what caused the crash, which authorities claimed occurred over Colombey-les-Belles, a town in northeastern France.
“The military authorities will report on the causes of the accident,” the local prefecture stated.
The Rafale “multi-role” fighter, designed to pursue enemy planes, strike land and sea targets, conduct reconnaissance, and even transport France’s nuclear warheads, has become a best-seller in the French arms industry.
“We heard a loud noise around 12:30 p.m.,” Patrice Bonneaux, Colombey-les-Belles’ deputy mayor, told AFP.
He explained that it was not the typical
sonic boom of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. “It was a peculiar, percussive noise.
“I assumed that two planes had collided, but we didn’t believe it,” he added, noting that a route bordering a neighboring woodland had been closed.
In December 2007, a Rafale jet crashed near Neuvic, southwestern France. Investigators determined that the pilot had become disoriented. It was thought to be the first crash of a Rafale.
In September 2009, two Rafale aircraft crashed as they returned to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Perpignan after a test flight with one pilot dead.
Afterwards, France sold the Rafale to Egypt, India, Greece, Indonesia, and Croatia.
