Fact Check: Simulation Videos Falsely Claimed as Jet Shootdowns in Operation Sindoor
Nine terror camps used by different groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed were destroyed
Game simulation videos
Nine terror camps used by different groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed were destroyed in overnight aerial strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefed the media on the precision strikes on terror camps. The targets struck in Pakistan included Sarjal camp in Sialkot, Mehmoona Joya and Markaz Taiba, Muridke, and Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur. In POK, the targets included Sawai Nala and Syedna Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas camps in Kotli, and Barnala camp in Bhimber. No military establishments were targeted, and there has been no collateral damage. However, several users on social media, especially YouTube and X, are sharing videos showing different jet planes being shot down by the opponent army.
Claim 1
A video showing a fighter jet being targeted and attacked by instruments on the ground is in circulation with the claim that ‘Pakistan jet JF-17 thunder shoot down by Indian Defence #OperationSindoor #IndiaPakistanWar Karachi’
Claim 2
Another video with similar visuals is also in circulation with the claim that the Indian jet was shot down by the Pakistani armed forces near Bahawalpur. Several social media users are sharing this video on different platforms.
Here are the archive links of the claims.
Fact Check:
Both claims are False. The videos in circulation are military simulation videos and do not show real war footage after Indian strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Although we could not confirm whether any of these claims about Indian or Pakistani fighter jets being shot down are true, we can confirm that the viral videos in circulation do not show real footage of war. They were taken from military simulation game videos.
When we extracted keyframes from the viral videos and searched them using Google reverse image search, we found that both are military simulation game videos and not real footage from the recent attack by India on Pakistan terrorist facilities.
Claim 1:
We found a longer video of the first viral video in circulation. The video was published on September 13, 2023, with the title “Air Defense System Shot Down A-10 Warthog/Thunderbolt II - C-RAM” by a channel named Zone 3000 Sakura. The description of the video states that the user enjoys producing military simulation videos.
The bio of the channel also states that the YouTuber enjoys creating military simulation videos.
Claim 2
This video is also a military simulation game, not real footage. Its visuals, like bright streaks and dramatic explosions, match the game's style, which has been misused before to spread false claims. When we extracted and searched using Google reverse image search, we found that the video was shared by several social media users stating that it is a visual from ARMA 3, a simulation video game.
Another X user named Hossam ElHendy, who is a fact checker, debunked the claim and stated that upon investigation, it was found that the video was taken from a war simulation in the game ArmA 3 and has no relation to a real incident. It was published on a page specializing in video game clips called ARK TRON.
When we searched the YouTube channel of Ark Tron, we found the longer version of the viral video published on April 19, 2025, with the title Su-35 Fighter Jets Enter City.
Hence, the videos in circulation do not show real war footage; they are military simulation game videos created by YouTube channels. The claims are False