October 23, 2026 The French Air and Space Force is in mourning after the deaths of two of its officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Antranig Sarkissian and Lieutenant Quentin Klysz, in an air accident which occurred on October 20, 2026 in Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. The tragedy occurred around 10:40 p.m., while the two military pilots were carrying out a night flight training mission aboard a Mirage 2000D from the 2/3 “Champagne” fighter squadron, based in Nancy-Ochey. Aged 44, Lieutenant Colonel Antranig Sarkissian was an experienced officer, navigator and weapons systems officer. Commander of the Suippes air-ground firing range since 2022, he had a total of 2,200 flight hours and 55 war missions, notably in Afghanistan, Mali, Niger, Sudan and Chad. Lieutenant Quentin Klysz, aged 27, was a licensed fighter pilot. Assigned since August 2025 to the 3/3 “Ardennes” fighter squadron, he continued his training on the Mirage 2000D in order to obtain his operational combat pilot qualification. General Jérôme Bellanger, Chief of Staff of the Air and Space Force, expressed his most sincere condolences to the families, loved ones and brothers in arms of the two soldiers. Safety and judicial investigations will have to determine the exact circumstances of this tragic accident.