Former French Rafale Pilot Faces Probe Over Alleged Spying For China

French authorities have placed former naval pilot Pierre-Henri Chuet under formal investigation for allegedly passing sensitive military information to Chinese operatives.

The General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) detained and questioned the dual French-Canadian national during the week of July 20, 2026, and searched his residence, as per India Today reports. On Monday, an investigating magistrate placed Chuet under formal investigation and released him under judicial supervision.

He faces multiple charges, including sharing intelligence with a foreign power, disclosing national defence secrets, collecting information relating to the fundamental interests of the nation, delivering information to a foreign power, and violating military instructions, according to the report.

Chuet served in the French Navy's naval aviation until around 2021. During his career, he flew Super Etendard strike fighters and Rafale M multirole fighters from the country's only serving aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle.

Undeclared Trips To China

The investigation centres on at least two undeclared visits Chuet made to China in September 2018 and August 2019 while still serving in the French Navy, allegations that first surfaced in 2023 and 2025, India Today reported. He did not inform his commanding officers about these trips, violating French military regulations. The Test Flying Academy of South Africa reportedly financed the excursions.

During these visits, Chuet allegedly instructed Chinese military aviators. The 2018 seminar focused on carrier landing technologies, while the 2019 session covered extensive aircraft carrier operations, including training for naval aviators and landing signal officers, the E-2C Hawkeye early warning plane and recent Western combat missions in Syria.

The legal proceedings began after the French Ministry of the Armed Forces sent a referral to Paris prosecutors in April 2025, triggering a preliminary probe, Le Parisien reported via India Today. Chuet has consistently denied the espionage accusations.

"I simply led two three-day seminars. My 2019 trip did not go very well. I never set foot in China again afterwards," Chuet told Le Canard Enchaine in 2025, according to the report.

Operation Sindoor Controversy

Beyond his military service, Chuet established a prominent public profile as a defence commentator. He operates a YouTube channel with over 560,000 subscribers and frequently appears on international television broadcasts.

His commentary sparked severe backlash during Operation Sindoor, the four-day India-Pakistan mini-war in May 2025 that saw Indian air, missile and drone strikes target Pakistani airbases and terrorist infrastructure. In a video published on May 10, 2025, Chuet said a PL-15 beyond-visual-range missile fired by a Pakistan Air Force J-10C downed an IAF Rafale, despite no official confirmation. He repeatedly praised the Chinese-made aircraft, describing the J-10C and JF-17 as "Rafale killers" and arguing that the engagements proved the effectiveness of Chinese air combat technology.

Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier publicly dismissed the shootdown assertions as entirely inaccurate. The Indian government acknowledged losing some aircraft during the conflict but consistently denied that any of them were Rafales. This stance was reinforced in June 2026 when the Air Headquarters issued a Request for Proposal seeking bids for a five-month bridge support package covering all 36 IAF Rafale jets, confirming that the entire fleet acquired from France remains fully accounted for.

The case follows broader geopolitical concerns regarding military recruitment. In June 2024, the US, Australia, the UK, Canada and New Zealand issued a joint bulletin warning that the People's Liberation Army was actively targeting Western military personnel. This was followed by the February 2026 arrest of a former US Air Force F-35 pilot on charges of training Chinese personnel.