Ex-French Pilot held for spying for China

Former Rafale fighter pilot and French YouTuber Pierre Henri Chuét, known as "Até Chuet" on the internet, has been indicted by intelligence services for sharing military secrets with China. Investigators claim that in 2018–19, while still serving in the French Navy, Chuet travelled to China and allegedly trained PLA pilots without authorization, with payments routed through a UK front company. Chuet, known for criticizing Indian Rafales during Operation Sindoor, is now under investigation by France's DGSI over intelligence links with China. He has been charged with disclosing national defense secrets. Chuet is a dual French-Canadian national and served in the French Navy’s naval aviation until around 2021.
According to reports, Chuet was also well known as a pilot instructor for the Chinese Air Force, training them in combat and tactics. Chuet, a popular aviation content creator with over 500,000 YouTube subscribers, reportedly accepted tens of thousands of euros to train military pilots for the Chinese People's Liberation Army. He now faces four major charges including treason and breach of military secrecy, carrying penalties of up to 30 years in prison. Though he claims he only shared open-source flight information, intelligence officials view the case as part of a dangerous, systematic push by the CCP to acquire Western defense technology and operational secrets from former military personnel.
France's domestic intelligence agency (DGSI) uncovered that Chuet made multiple unauthorized trips to China while on active military duty. The training sessions were funneled through a South African aviation academy actively targeted by Western intelligence for recruiting NATO-trained pilots to boost Beijing's air combat tactics. He had praised Chinese-made fighters such as the J-10C & JF-17 as Rafale killers. Rafales, which are the most advanced jets used by the IAF, are made by France's Dassault Aviation.
On Monday, July 27, 2026, the French investigative outlet, Intelligence Online, reported that Chuet was placed in custody and questioned by the DGSI (France’s domestic intelligence service) in the week of July 20. His residence was also searched by the DGSI.
During Operation Sindoor, in May 2025 that saw Indian air, missile and drone strikes target Pakistani airbases, radar installations and terrorist infrastructure, Chuet drew criticism for a series of videos analysing the aerial engagements. In a video published on May 10, 2025, Chuet asserted that a Pakistan Air Force J-10C had successfully shot down an Indian Air Force Rafale using a PL-15 beyond-visual-range missile, despite there being no official confirmation of such a claim. In subsequent videos, he praised the performance of Pakistan's Chinese-made J-10C and JF-17 fighter jets, and described them and the PL-15 missile as "Rafale killer", arguing that the conflict had demonstrated the effectiveness of Chinese air combat technology.