Fact-Check: No, Air Marshal Harjeet Singh Didn't Admit Rafale Losses

We found that the news clip is fabricated, and that Harjeet Singh passed away more than two years ago.

Fact-Check: The claim is false as the former pilot never admitted the loss of Rafale jets.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

An image of former Indian Air Force officer Harjeet Singh is being shared on social media, claiming that he admitted India lost Rafale jets during aerial combat with Pakistan.

What’s the claim?: The viral image shows an air force officer in uniform alongside news graphics displaying “Rafale Crashed in IOK” and “Rafale Wreckage in Bathinda,” with satellite-style imagery and technical analysis overlays.

The archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

The images in the report have been digitally altered. Additionally, Singh died in 2023, so he could not have made the recent statements.

Moreover, Singh passed away in 2023, which proves that he could not have made the recent statements.

What did we find?: We conducted a Google reverse image search on the viral image and found that it combines authentic photographs of Air Marshal Harjeet Singh Arora with fabricated news graphics.

• We also found that Air Marshal Arora passed away on 21 January 2023, making any recent statements made on his behalf false.

• We ran several keyword searches for statements by the Indian Air Force for official confirmation, and no credible news outlets have reported any such admission about Rafale losses during Operation Sindoor.

• The satellite imagery and technical overlays in the viral image show signs of digital manipulation typical of AI-generated content.

• We also found an ANI report dated 21 January 2023 about the demise of former Vice chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Harjeet Singh.

Conclusion: A fabricated image montage using the photograph of deceased Air Marshal Harjeet Singh Arora is being circulated on social media to spread unsubstantiated claims about India losing Rafale jets.

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