French Air and Space Force Vice Chief Lieutenant General Dominique Tardif has said France is studying the Indian Air Force’s experience during Operation Sindoor because of the operation’s scale and complexity.

Tardif said the number of aircraft operating simultaneously in the same battlespace had made the operation particularly significant for France and other air forces.

“I think we haven’t seen something like this since, perhaps, World War II. So the Indian Air Force has something very interesting,” he said.

The French assessment is focused on understanding how the Indian Air Force planned and conducted large-scale air operations involving multiple aircraft and systems in a highly contested battlespace.

Tardif said France had already held discussions with the Indian Air Force to examine the operation’s lessons. However, he noted that the information available for exchange was limited because several aspects remained operationally sensitive.

He cautioned against drawing immediate conclusions from the operation. A meaningful assessment, he said, would require the examination of records generated by the different systems involved, followed by a detailed analysis of how those systems performed.

“We are also to analyse what has been done, and it’s a long way, because you need to have all the different records of the different systems, to analyse, to understand, because you can’t draw rapid lessons. It takes time to analyse,” Tardif said.

He added that the French Air and Space Force was seeking to study whatever information the Indian Air Force could share, while recognising that decisions on disclosure rested with India.

“For sure, this is something very interesting for all the different air forces,” Tardif said.

Tardif made the remarks during his visit to India for the second edition of the Indian Air Force’s multinational air combat exercise Tarang Shakti in Jodhpur. The exercise has provided participating air forces with an opportunity to exchange operational practices, test procedures and improve interoperability.

France’s interest in Operation Sindoor also comes as it examines future air-combat requirements, including the possible development of longer-range air-to-air missiles for its Rafale fleet.

The Meteor missile used by both the Indian and French air forces has an effective range of around 150 kilometres, while some Chinese, Russian and American systems are reported to have ranges exceeding 300 kilometres.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India on 7 May 2025 following the Pahalgam terror attack. The operation involved complex air and missile activity and has since become a subject of study for military planners assessing modern, networked air warfare.