Fact Check: Old Night-Time Aircraft Takeoff Video Falsely Claimed as Pakistan's Mission Amid Operation Sindoor

In a significant military operation, the Indian Army launched Operation Sindoor at midnight, targeting nine terrorist camps located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). According to initial reports from Indian defense sources, no Pakistani Army installations were targeted during the operation. This action is being described as a direct response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. In retaliation, India reportedly carried out a precision missile strike on terrorist infrastructure across the Line of Control. Preliminary figures suggest that around 90 militants may have been neutralized during the strikes. Following the escalation, Pakistan has also issued statements indicating retaliatory measures. In a related development, flight operations from Lahore airport have been suspended for 48 hours as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, a video has started going viral, showing a fighter jet taking off in the dark of night. The video is being linked to the ongoing India-Pak tensions. Text appearing in the first few frames of the video claims that Pakistan has launched fighter jets in response to Operation Sindoor.

Fact Check:

There is no truth in the claim. The viral video has been available on the internet since at least 2023 and is not related to Operation Sindoor or the current situation between India and Pakistan.

When we investigated the claim, we found no evidence of it being reported by any major media outlet. If such an aircraft had actually taken off from Pakistan and the video was genuine, it is likely that major news networks would have covered it.

When we conducted a reverse image search using a frame from the viral video, we found a matching video on YouTube. It was uploaded on 11 December 2023 by a channel named The Corporate Pilot Dad. The video is titled F-18 after Starting Flight and has garnered over 6,000 views and 195 likes.

Since the said video was similar to the viral video, we compared both videos. From the comparison, we found that both videos were from the same time period and featured the same aircraft.

However, it was not possible for us to determine the exact region or the specific time the video was recorded. Despite extensive investigation, we did not find any news coverage in mainstream media regarding the video, nor did we come across any post about it on any official social media platform.

Therefore, it was not possible for us to obtain concrete details about the said video. However, it was confirmed that the video has been available on the internet since at least 2023. This indicates that the video is not recent.

On the other hand, the Indian Army or the ministry of defense has not released any such videos.

A fact-checking organization called D-Intent Data has also refuted the claim. After investigating the video, they reported that it is an old video and has no connection with the current situation.

Hence, we found the claim is false. The viral video has been available on the internet since 2023. Therefore, it has no relevance to the current situation. As a result, the claim made in the video—that fighter jets have started flying from Pakistan—holds no truth.