동프랑스에서 라팔B와 라팔C가 충돌해 파일럿 2명이 사망

[위종민]

지난 수요일 동프랑스 보주와 뫼르트 에 모젤 지역에서 복좌 훈련용 라팔B와 단좌 라팔C가 공중충돌해 라팔B에 탑승했던 교관 세바스티앙 마비레 대위 및 훈련 파일럿 마티스 로렌스 중위 2명이 사망했습니다. 라팔C 조종사는 이젝션 후 경상을 입었다고 하네요. 

두 대의 항공기 모두 4/113 라팔 전환훈련 비행대대 '아키텐' 소속으로 독일에서 공중급유 임무를 마치고 돌아오는 도중 전투 기동 훈련 중에 공중충돌했다고 합니다. 

삼가 고인의 명복을 빕니다. 

Two pilots killed after French Rafale jets collide mid-air (aerotime.aero)

Two pilots killed after French Rafale jets collide mid-air

byClement Charpentreau

August 15, 2024, 12:43 (UTC +3)

2 minute read

superjoseph / Shutterstock.com

Two French Air Force Rafale fighter jets crashed on the border between the Vosges and Meurthe-et-Moselle regions in eastern France.  

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has confirmed that two pilots—a student and their instructor—aboard a two-seater Rafale B aircraft, lost their lives in the crash. A third pilot, flying a single-seat Rafale C jet, successfully ejected and was recovered with minor injuries.

“We learned with sadness of the deaths of Captain Sébastien Mabire and Lieutenant Matthis Laurens, during an air accident during a Rafale training mission,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement. “The Nation shares the grief of their families and brothers in arms at Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier.”

The two aircraft belonged to the Rafale Transition Squadron 3/4 Aquitaine, located at BA 113 Saint-Dizier—Robinson Air Base. According to the French Air and Space Force, they were involved in a mid-air collision during a combat maneuver while returning from a refueling mission in Germany.

The Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture promptly activated the departmental operational center and initiated the SATER (air-land rescue) plan to support military forces in response to the incident. 

“Aircraft accident in the Colombey sector: the departmental operational center is activated in support of the armed forces to coordinate the search,” the Meurthe-et-Moselle prefecture advised in a press release. “Avoid the area and follow the instructions of the authorities.” 

The Escadron de Transformation Rafale 3/4 Aquitaine is a French Air Force squadron that trains pilots on the Rafale multirole fighter aircraft. Based at Saint-Dizier-Robinson Air Base, it plays a crucial role in transitioning pilots from other aircraft to the Rafale platform. The squadron is responsible for initial and advanced training, ensuring pilots are fully equipped to operate the Rafale in various mission profiles, including air defense, ground attack, and reconnaissance.

An investigation was opened by the French Investigation Bureau for State Aviation Safety (BEA-E).

August 15, 2024, 12:35 (UTC +3)

The article was updated with a statement by the French Ministry of Armed Forces, confirm‎ing the death of two pilots

Two fighter jet pilots die in France after mid-air crash | France | The Guardian

Two fighter jet pilots die in France after mid-air crash

Two fighter jet pilots die in France after mid-air crash

Instructor and student pilot died during training mission crash, while third pilot ejected, in a rare accident involving the Rafale military aircraft

Agence France-Presse

Thu 15 Aug 2024 00.56 BST

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Two French pilots have died after their Rafale jets collided in mid-air in eastern France, President Emmanuel Macron has said, in a rare accident involving the cutting-edge military aircraft.

One pilot ejected after the crash over northeastern France on Wednesday, but authorities had launched a desperate search for a missing instructor and a student pilot on the second jet.

“We learn with sadness the death of Capt Sebastien Mabire and Lt Matthis Laurens in an air accident in a Rafale training mission,” Macron posted on X.

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“The nation shares the grief of their families and brothers in arms at airbase 113 in Saint-Dizier” in eastern France, he added.

“One of the pilots was found safe and sound,” defence minister Sebastien Lecornu said earlier on X.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collision that authorities said occurred over Colombey-les-Belles, a town in northeastern France.

“The military authorities will report on the causes of the accident,” said the local prefecture.

The supersonic Rafale “multi-role” fighter – used to hunt enemy planes, strike ground and sea targets, carry out reconnaissance and even carry France’s nuclear warheads – has become a bestseller for the French arms industry.

Accidents involving Rafale jets are rare.

“We heard a loud noise, around 12.30pm (10.30 GMT),” Patrice Bonneaux, deputy mayor of Colombey-les-Belles, told AFP.

It was not the usual sonic boom of a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier, he said. “It was a strange noise, a percussive sound”.

“I assumed that two planes had collided, but we didn’t believe it,” he said, adding that a road bordering a nearby forest had been cordoned off.

In December 2007, a Rafale jet crashed near Neuvic in southwestern France. Investigators concluded that the pilot had become disoriented. That was believed to be the first crash of a Rafale.

In September 2009, two Rafale aircraft went down as they flew back to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Perpignan after completing a test flight. One pilot died.

France has sold the Rafale to Egypt, India, Greece, Indonesia, Croatia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Lecornu said in January that France had ordered 42 new Rafale fighter jets, with the first to be delivered in 2027. The French military has now ordered more than 230 Rafales since the jet went into service.

Macron has urged defence manufacturers to boost production and innovation as Europe seeks to increase arms supplies to buttress Ukraine, which has been struggling to fight off Russia’s invasion, now in its third year.

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에고 어쩌다가... ㅠ.ㅠ