In a rare and alarming incident, two French Rafale jets collided midair on Wednesday, leading to a desperate search for two missing crew members. The collision occurred over the town of Colombey-les-Belles in northeastern France and involved supersonic jets from the Saint-Dizier air base, a key facility for the French Air Force.
According to a spokesperson from the French Air Force in Paris, one of the pilots managed to eject from the aircraft and was found safe. However, an instructor and a student pilot who were aboard the second jet remain missing.
The French Defense Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, confirmed the ongoing search operation in a statement on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
“One of the pilots was found safe and sound. The search is still underway,” Lecornu stated, expressing gratitude to the armed forces and police involved in the rescue efforts.
The exact cause of the collision has not yet been determined. Local authorities are working closely with military officials to investigate the incident.
“The military authorities will report on the causes of the accident,” said a statement from the local prefecture.
The Rafale jets involved in the collision are part of France’s advanced military fleet.
Known as “multi-role” fighters, these aircraft are capable of performing various missions, including hunting enemy planes, striking ground and sea targets, conducting reconnaissance, and even carrying France’s nuclear warheads.
The Rafale has been a significant export success for France, with sales to countries like Egypt, India, Greece, Indonesia, Croatia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Patrice Bonneaux, the deputy mayor of Colombey-les-Belles, described the moment of the collision, which occurred around 12:30 pm.
“We heard a loud noise,” he said, noting that it was different from the usual sonic boom produced by fighter jets.
“It was a strange noise, a percussive sound. I assumed that two planes had collided, but we didn’t believe it,” Bonneaux added.
He mentioned that a road near a nearby forest had been cordoned off as part of the ongoing search and investigation.
This incident is not the first crash involving a Rafale jet. In December 2007, a Rafale crashed near Neuvic in southwestern France after the pilot became disoriented. This was the first recorded crash of a Rafale. Two years later, in September 2009, two Rafale jets went down while returning to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Perpignan following a test flight. Tragically, one of the pilots in that incident did not survive.