Near Miss: Rafale Jet Missile Falls During Landing, Technician Narrowly Escapes Death

• A practice missile detached from a French Navy Rafale M jet during an arrested landing on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in 2018.
• The viral video shows the missile sliding inches from a deck technician, who narrowly escaped injury.
• Investigation revealed the release-lock system failed due to extreme shock (20-30G) during landing, not an enemy attack.
• The missile was a non-live practice round; a live warhead would have caused catastrophic damage and loss of life.
• The French Navy implemented stricter pre-landing checks and updated safety protocols following the near-fatal event.

Why It Matters: A technical malfunction during a Rafale jet landing led to a near-fatal missile drop, emphasizing naval aviation risks.