Overview

• A viral video falsely claimed to show a Rafale or F-16 fighter jet downed in April 2025 during India-Pakistan tensions.
• Fact-checkers traced the footage to a June 2024 Sukhoi-30MKI crash in Nashik, Maharashtra, caused by a technical snag during a test flight.
• The Press Information Bureau and multiple outlets confirmed no Indian or Pakistani fighter jets were shot down recently.
• Pro-India and pro-Pakistan social media accounts amplified conflicting narratives using the misleading video.
• The resurfacing of the footage coincides with heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack and cross-border skirmishes.