French officers expressed concern over high-altitude objects past 20 km, an space which is turning into more and more contested.
France introduced on Jun. 24, 2025 that it has examined the engagement of “stratospheric balloons working at very excessive altitude,” taking pictures them down with MICA air-to-air missiles launched by Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighters. The balloons, supplied by CNES (Centre Nationwide d’Études Spatiales/Nationwide Middle for House Research), have been flying at an altitude of over 20 km (65,000 ft).
Protection Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated on X that the “check launches pushed the technological constraints imposed on the plane, its pilot, and its weaponry past 20 kilometers of altitude.” Moreover, he added “this marks the primary milestone within the interception part of our armed forces’ technique for very excessive altitude, which is turning into a contested area.”
The one-minute video shared by Lecornu confirmed footage from contained in the cockpit of a French Air and House Power (FASF) Rafale, probably captured by an motion digicam mounted on the pilot’s helmet through the engagement. Infrared footage captured by an electro optical system exhibits the missiles hanging the balloons.
French navy officers expressed concern over high-altitude objects and balloons since a sequence of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) have been shot down over Canada and the USA in 2023. Between Feb. 10 and 12 of that yr, one object was shot down over Alaska, the opposite over Yukon, and the third over Lake Huron. The shoot-down of a Chinese language high-altitude balloon over South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2023, notably spurred the hassle, earlier than the FASF introduced the longer term functionality demonstration that occurred now.
🇫🇷French Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighter pilots not too long ago practiced destroying a number of stratospheric balloons at very excessive altitude utilizing MICA air-to-air missiles, following the “🇨🇳2023 Chinese language balloon incident” over the 🇺🇸USA that bought destroyed by a F-22 utilizing an AIM-9X missile. pic.twitter.com/KaI48QKbXg
— Etienne Marcuz (@Etienne_Marcuz) June 23, 2025
Capturing down balloons with AAMs
It isn’t clear what number of Mirage 2000s and Rafales have been used within the check, or whether or not different surveillance plane with EO/IR programs could have been used. It’s also doable the footage is from the IRST (Infra-Purple Search and Monitor) programs of the Rafale fighters.
The MICA medium-range AAMs have two major variants – the IR-seeker MICA IR and a radar-homing MICA RF. It isn’t clear which of the 2 was used to shoot down the balloons within the newest check.
Given the absence of radio frequency emissions from such balloons, the MICA IR, that locks on to warmth signatures, could have been used. Nonetheless, contemplating the plural in Lecornu’s assertion hinted that there have been at the least two check shootings, the Mirage 2000 and the Rafale may need fired each the MICA RF and the MICA IR variants.
France additionally not too long ago examined the brand new MICA NG, which is available in an Imaging Infrared (IIR) and an Lively Electronically Scanned Array Seeker (AESA) seeker variants. The brand new weapon is alleged to surpass the “newest era” of AAMs, whereas the IR variant is alleged to supply “all-weather shoot-up/shoot-down functionality.”
Usually, whereas the potential to shoot down slow-moving, high-altitude objects isn’t not possible, as was seen within the incidents over North America in Feb. 2023, it would current some challenges, with an instance being the diminished IR signaturer. The well timed detection of those objects earlier than they stray into sovereign airspace is significant.
Subsequently, the FASF could have additionally frozen surveillance and monitoring protocols of such objects by mobilizing each their air and area property. The balloon’s lack of a metallic physique and atypical floating motion typically go undetected by radars meant for quick flying, massive plane and missiles. Optical reconnaissance is commonly simpler in these instances.
The assertion’s didn’t point out whether or not France’s E-3F Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning Management System) have been employed and in the event that they skilled difficulties in monitoring the very high-altitude objects.
C’est l’heure du #FighterFriday avec les Mirage 2000 déployés en Lituanie dans le cadre de leur mission de Police du ciel #vendredichasseur pic.twitter.com/hAHCX1PEwH
— Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace (@Armee_de_lair) October 7, 2016
Excessive-altitude threats
OPEXNEWS stated the FASF has recognized two forms of targets that may represent future threats at these altitudes. Within the first class are “Excessive-Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS)/stratospheric balloons” and drones that may keep airborne from a number of days to a number of weeks gathering intelligence. The others are hypersonic missiles and “maneuvering gliders” (Hypersonic Glide Automobiles) that exploit the “much less dense layers of the ambiance to increase their vary and bypass defenses.”
The taking pictures demonstration additionally tackles the undefined jurisdictional points in “close to area” between 20 to 100 km above sea stage that confronted Western militaries after the Chinese language balloon incident, in keeping with a Jan. 2025 interview of Gen. Alexis Rougier in Paris Match, who was appointed to move the FASF’s very excessive altitude workplace the earlier yr. Present worldwide legal guidelines and treaties are nonetheless ambiguous on whether or not it’s to be thought-about sovereign or worldwide airspace.
Most up-to-date picture of the Chinese language balloon obtained in Candler, NC
Creator: Blake Cloninger pic.twitter.com/EEj50pO3ga
— StratoCat (@stratoballoon) February 4, 2023
The downing of the Chinese language balloon on Feb. 4, 2023 over South Carolina noticed an F-22 from the first Fighter Wing (1st FW) of Langley AFB, Virginia, firing an AIM-9X. The Raptor was flying at 58,000 ft, whereas the balloon was between 60,000 and 65,000 ft. The Chinese language aspect alsd acknowledged the balloon’s origin, however maintained it was a climate analysis object, denying any navy use.
Pictures present the Chinese language Balloon being shot down by a F-22 Raptor from Myrtle Seaside, SC!📸Me pic.twitter.com/AWSmILlRzg
— Jake Bradshaw (@jake_b_photo) February 4, 2023
‘France must show its functionality’
Rougier additional informed Paris Match that that the FASF’s Rafales, Mirage 2000s, and “ground-to-air programs” do supply “interception capabilities,” however they nonetheless must display “these capabilities geared toward detecting” and “neutralizing” threats, whereas additionally themselves “taking benefit” at “very high-altitudes […] from 2025.”
In Oct. 2024, the FASF’s Chief of Employees Basic Jérôme Bellanger informed lawmakers of the Nationwide Protection and Armed Forces Committee the significance of controlling the “virgin zone” between 20 to 100 km, the place the Chinese language balloon was flying. “Funding is totally important on this space. On the one hand, it’s dual-purpose. It’s going to allow the deployment of resilient communications, web connectivity, and surveillance programs for each civilian and navy functions. Then again, nature abhors a vacuum; if we don’t go there, others will. There isn’t a query of letting Chinese language balloons place themselves above our heads and observe us. We’ll due to this fact should develop neutralization strategies able to reaching the THA,” he stated.
The most recent check can be according to Paris’ proactive function in European safety and NATO. This was mirrored within the Pégase 25 deployment to Sweden in April and President Emmanuel Macron asserting on Mar. 18, 2025, the reopening of Luxeuil Air Base (Base Aérienne 116). This was to start working the most recent Rafale F5 variant, which meets the nuclear deterrent function with the hypersonic ASN4G nuclear cruise missile.
TAGS: French Air and House Power, Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace, Excessive-altitude balloon, Chinese language spy balloon, Dassault Rafale, Mirage 2000, MICA, Directorate Basic of Armaments, CNES, Centre Nationwide d’Études Spatiales
