Video footage on X/Twitter captures two Patrouille de France aircraft colliding mid-air and breaking apart near Saint-Dizier, News.Az informs via The Aviationist.
France’s Armed Forces Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, confirmed via social media that the incident had taken place during display rehearsals and that emergency services had been mobilized.
A French Air & Space Force spokesperson source told France24 that two pilots and a passenger were able to eject and were found conscious. They are now receiving appropriate medical care. One of the aircraft collided with a silo at a nearby industrial facility causing a fire to break out. The second aircraft reportedly landed in a canal. No casualties on the ground have been reported.
The incident took place near Air Base 113, which is 4 kilometers west of Saint-Dizier. It houses Dassault Rafale squadrons. Aircraft from this base were involved in the 2024 mid-air collision of two Rafales.
Patrouille de France is the French Air & Space Force’s primary display team, analogous to the Royal Air Force Red Arrows and the Italian Air Force Frecce Tricolori. The team traces its roots back to 1931, and has flown the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet trainer aircraft since 1981.
