French Fighter Jet Pilots Killed in Mid-Air Collision

A Rafale jet fighter of the French Air Force patrols the airspace over Poland on March 4, 2022. (Nicolas Tucat / AFP via Getty Images)

Two fighter jet pilots died after their plane collided with another and crashed in France, according to the French military.

The two Rafale fighter jets collided on Wednesday during a combat maneuver in the Vosges region near the town of Colombey-les-Belles, north-eastern France, the defense ministry said in a statement.

Captain Sébastien Mabire, an instructor, and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens, a trainee pilot, were in a two-seater Rafale during a training mission at the time of the incident.

‘Brothers in Arms’

The pilot of the first plane ejected and suffered only minor injuries.

With no news from the crew, significant resources were deployed to the scene to locate them, according to authorities. After a search of several hours, authorities found the bodies of the first two pilots in a forest.

The wreckage of the other two-seater Rafale was found later in the afternoon in the town of Harmonville (Vosges).

The country’s president announced the news on the social media platform X and expressed his condolences.

“We learned with sadness of the deaths of Captain Sébastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens, during an air accident during a Rafale training mission,” wrote French President Emmanuel Macron.

“The Nation shares the grief of their families and brothers in arms at Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier,” he added.

Military and judicial investigations are underway into the causes of the accident.

The Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu also released a statement expressing deep regret over the loss of two skilled pilots in the line of duty and that he will visit Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier tomorrow.

“I extend my sincere condolences and all my support to the families of Captain Sébastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens, to their loved ones, and to their comrades-in-arms. This evening, the entire Nation is grateful: we will never forget them,” he said.

Rafale

The Rafale is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation, which has been servicing the French Air Force since 2006.

India, Qatar, Egypt, and Greece also use the aircraft in their armed forces.

The warplanes specialize in permanent “Quick Reaction Alert” (QRA), a state of readiness and modus operandi of air defense maintained at all times by NATO allies.

This means it is used for air defense, air policing missions, nuclear deterrence duties, power projection and deployments for external missions, deep strike missions, air support for ground forces, reconnaissance missions, and pilot training.