Claim
Video claiming to show an Indian Rafale fighter jet in flames after it was shot down by Pakistan.
The archived version of the post can be seen here, which has clocked 226.5K views so far.
Fact
Newschecker ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the viral video, which led us to a similar video shared by RoyaNews English, dated April 15, 2025, well before the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which has led to the ongoing India-Pakistan standoff.
According to the video’s description, a Pakistani Mirage 5 fighter jet crashed due to a technical malfunction during a routine mission with both pilots escaping, while the military is investigating the cause. Another similar post on Instagram can be seen here, dated April 16, 2025, sharing the same video and stating that a Pakistan Air Force Mirage V ROSE crashed during a routine operational training sortie near Ratta Tibba, Vehari. The aircraft had departed from PAF Base Rafiqui prior to the incident.
A comparison of a couple of screengrabs with the April 15 video, especially the attire of the local resident who was at the spot, and the crashed aircraft, along with the surrounding terrain, confirm that it is of the same incident.
Screegrabs of the April 15 RoyaNews English video (left), compared to screenshots of the viral video (right).
“The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) training aircraft Mirage V ROSE crashed in the fields of Ratta Tibba in the suburbs of Vehari district, some 350 kms southwest of Lahore, on Tuesday,” read an Economic Times report on the incident, dated April 16, 2025, further confirms the viral video is of the same crash. A similar Deccan Herald report from April 16, 2025 can be seen here.
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Sources
RoyaNews English report, Youtube, April 15, 2025
Instagram post, airfighters, April 16, 2025
