French Air Force Display Jets Collide During Rehearsal Near Saint-Dizier
Two Alpha Jets from the French Air and Space Force’s Patrouille de France aerobatic team collided in mid-air during a training flight on Tuesday. The crash occurred near Air Base 113 in Saint-Dizier, in the Haute-Marne region, at around 15:35 local time.
Video shared online shows six jets flying in formation with red, white, and blue smoke trails. Two of the jets appear to collide and break apart.
One aircraft hit a silo at a nearby industrial site, starting a fire. The other jet crashed into a canal. Emergency services responded quickly and no one on the ground was hurt.
All three people on board—two pilots and one passenger—ejected and were found conscious. Two are in stable condition, and one has multiple injuries but is being cared for by military medical staff, according to a French Air & Space Force spokesperson.
The crash happened just outside Air Base 113, home to Dassault Rafale squadrons. That same base was involved in a fatal Rafale collision during a training mission in August 2024.
The Patrouille de France team has flown Alpha Jets since 1981 and is known for public flyovers, including Bastille Day in Paris. An investigation is underway to determine what caused the collision.
