Old Video of a Crashed PAF Jet Falsely Shared as 'Rafale Attacked by Pak'

This shows a training aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force after it crashed in the fields in Vehari district, Pakistan

A video showing a wrecked fighter jet emitting massive fumes while it is still on fire is going viral online to claim that it is a recent clip.

• The claim further states that a pilot was killed when this 'Rafale jet was hit by Pakistan' near Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

What's the truth?: This claim is false and the video is unrelated to Operation Sindoor.

• This shows a training aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) after it crashed in the fields in Vehari district of Pakistan.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a reverse image search on some of the keyframes of the viral video on Google and this led us to an old post shared on X (formerly Twitter).

• The same video was shared on 15 April 2025 and this predates Operation Sindoor.

• The caption stated, "A #Pakistan Air Force Mirage V ROSE fighter of No.50 SQN, has crashed near Basti Ratta Tibba in Vehari. The aircraft took off from PAF Base Rafiqui. Both pilots onboard ejected safely." (sic)

𝗣𝗔𝗙 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗩 𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗝𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱
A #Pakistan Air Force Mirage V ROSE fighter of No.50 SQN, has crashed near Basti Ratta Tibba in Vehari. The aircraft took off from PAF Base Rafiqui. Both pilots onboard ejected safely. pic.twitter.com/UlxnQ7OFr2

— Nepal Correspondence (@NepCorres) April 15, 2025

• Taking a cue, we performed a relevant keyword search on Google which led us to reports shared by Dawn and Deccan Herald on 2 April 2025.

• The report also carried screenshots from the viral video and stated that the PAF training aircraft Mirage V ROSE crashed in the fields of Ratta Tibba in the suburbs of Vehari district on 1 April 2025.

Conclusion: An old video of a crashed fighter jet is going viral on social media where users are claiming that it shows a Rafale that was hit by Pakistan recently.

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