France has shot down “stratospheric balloons operating at very high altitude,” using MICA air-to-air missiles launched from Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter jets.
The balloons, provided by CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales/National Center for Space Studies), were flying at an altitude of over 20 km (65,000 ft).
Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on X that the “test launches pushed the technological constraints imposed on the aircraft, its pilot, and its weaponry beyond 20 kilometers of altitude.”
Lecornu added, “This marks the first milestone in the interception component of our armed forces’ strategy for very high altitude, which is becoming a contested space.”
Des Rafale et Mirage 2000 ont réalisé avec succès les premiers tirs de missiles MICA vers des ballons stratosphériques opérant à très haute altitude (THA) fournis par le @CNES
Des tirs d’essai repoussant les contraintes technologiques qui s’exercent sur l’avion, son pilote et… pic.twitter.com/mu2eqTNr8s— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) June 23, 2025
The Missile d’Interception, de Combat et d’Autodéfense, or MICA, is a multi-mission air-to-air missile system for the Rafale and the latest versions of Mirage 2000-5 aircraft. MICA has a dual role with both BVR (Beyond Visual Range) and SR (Short Range) combat situations, and exhibits very high performance in both roles.
MICA has a dual role. It is capable of coping with both BVR and SR combat situations, exhibiting very high performance in both roles. The weapon offers two guidance systems with its two different seekers:
- RF MICA with radar seeker providing all-weather shoot-up/shoot-down capability
- IR MICA with dual waveband imaging infrared seeker
MICA outperforms other BVR missiles due to its unique stealthy interception capability, provided by its silent IR seeker. In SR combat situations, a combination of Lock On After Launch mode and excellent acquisition and tracking performance authorizes a 360° launch envelope with first shoot/first kill capability even in the case of a threat in the rear sector.
Earlier in 2022, A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor shot down a Chinese ‘spy balloon’ using an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.
At the time, then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin said: US President Biden ordered the action, but it was deferred until the balloon was over water off the coast of South Carolina to confirm that no citizens on the ground were impacted.
“The balloon, which was being used by the PRC (China) in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above U.S. territorial waters,” Austin said.
The action was taken in coordination with and at the support of the Canadian government. “We thank Canada for its contribution to tracking and analysis of the balloon through [North American Aerospace Defense Command] as it transited North America,” Austin had said.
🚨#BREAKING: Incredible HD footage of the Chinese surveillance balloon being shot down
🚨#MyrtleBeach l #SC
Watch incredible HD video of the moment when the Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down by a single missile from an F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base pic.twitter.com/KjwTrgcvcb
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) February 4, 2023
The F-22 Raptor launched the Sidewinder missile at the alleged spy balloon from an altitude of 58,000 feet. The balloon was at an altitude of between 60,000 and 65,000 feet at the time.
F-15 Eagles flying from Barnes Air National Guard Base supported the F-22, as did tankers from multiple states. This was the first kill for the F-22 Raptor.
Spat Over F-35 Jets
“From the DSCA’s point of view, Switzerland will have to bear additional costs due to the high inflation in the US in recent years and the sharp rise in raw material and energy prices in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.
“The agency informed Switzerland in February that, in its view, “the fixed price was a misunderstanding, without quantifying the additional costs.”
“The Federal Council is sticking to the validity of the fixed price,” it said, adding that the amount had been contractually agreed and had been publicly confirmed by the US embassy in Bern.
National armaments director Urs Loher said that agreeing to DCSA’s new terms “results in potential additional costs of between $650 million and $1.3 billion.”
The wide gap between the two figures was due to the potential impact of US tariffs, possible inflation trends, and geopolitical uncertainties, he said.
The DCSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense that works to build the capacity of foreign security forces.
Switzerland purchases the planes through the DSCA’s Foreign Military Sales program, which then settles the purchase with the manufacturer under its own contract.
Bern said “a diplomatic solution must be sought” to the disagreement and has charged the Swiss defence ministry with coming up with a proposal to resolve the dispute, the statement said.
The government won a referendum in September 2020 by a razor-thin margin, which approved the military spending six billion Swiss francs on a new fleet.
The F-35A combat aircraft — already used by the US Air Force and several European countries — was chosen in June 2021 over the Airbus Eurofighter, the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, and the French firm Dassault’s Rafale.
Two Swiss parliamentary committees launched an investigation into why the model won despite a series of technical problems reported in the United States. They also questioned their high cost.
The contract was signed in September 2022, when six billion Swiss francs was the equivalent of $6.2 billion. Terminating the contract would have “significant consequences”, the government said Wednesday.
“Switzerland would no longer be able to guarantee the safety of the airspace and the population from 2032, as the previous F/A-18 fighter jets are reaching the end of their service,” it said.
The first deliveries are due in 2027.
Switzerland’s long-standing position has been one of well-armed military neutrality, and the landlocked country has mandatory conscription for men.
With Inputs from Agence France-Presse
