Fact Check: Gaming Video Falsely Claimed To Show Pakistani Fighter Jet Being Shot Down
The video going viral on social media, which claims to show a Pakistani fighter jet being shot down, is a footage from a simulation game, not of any real military action.
- By: Pallavi Mishra
- Published: May 10, 2025 at 01:04 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News): Following India’s air strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, a video has gone viral on social media. The video shows a machine gun shooting down two helicopters, with users claiming that it shows a Pakistani fighter jet being shot down.
Vishvas News investigated the claim and found it to be false. The video in question is not real but a clip from a military simulation game.
What is viral?
Facebook page NAMO India shared the viral video clip (archive link) on May 8, 2025, with the caption, “Pakistan’s Fighter JF-17 aircraft was shot down by the Indian Army as soon as it entered the Indian border. #OperationSindoor #indianarmy #NarendraModi Jai Hind.”
Investigation
To verify the post, we began by analysing the video carefully and noticed some inconsistencies. While the post alleges the downing of a Pakistani fighter jet, the video clearly shows two helicopters, visibly different from a JF-17 Thunder fighter jet, as highlighted in the collage below.
Also, the animation of the video raised suspicions that this clip could be from a simulation game.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video yielded no matching results. However, we found many visually similar videos, which identified the source as the video game ‘Arma 3’, a tactical shooter simulation video game.
We spoke to Anish Jain, founder of Dynamo Games, who confirmed that the viral video clip. He confirmed that this video is of the Arma 3 game.
For context, following the Pahalgam terrorist attack on April 22, 2025, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7,2025 conducting airstrikes on multiple terrorist bases in Pakistan and PoK. Subsequently, on the night of May 8, 2025, Pakistan retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The Indian Army intercepted and neutralised the incoming drones and missiles using its S-400 air defence system. Detailed information regarding these events can be found here.
The Facebook user NAMO India, who shared the viral video, has over five lakh followers.
Conclusion: The video going viral on social media, which claims to show a Pakistani fighter jet being shot down, is a footage from a simulation game, not of any real military action.
- Claim Review : Pakistan's JF-17 fighter plane was shot down by the Indian Army as soon as it entered the Indian border.
- Claimed By : Facebook page NAMO India
- Fact Check : False
Know the truth! If you have any doubts about any information or a rumor, do let us know!
Knowing the truth is your right. If you feel any information is doubtful and it can impact the society or nation, send it to us by any of the sources mentioned below.
