Fact Check: Rafale fighter jet shot down by Pakistan in Bahawalpur? No, the images are old

In this context, images of a crashed fighter jet have been circulating on social media, claiming that a Rafale was shot down by a Pakistani PL-15 missile near Bahawalpur, Pakistan, resulting in the pilot’s death.

One X user shared two images with the caption, “As per credible information, one Rafale has been hit by Pakistani PL-15 near Bahawalpur. Burnt into ashes. Pilot dead. It was a single seater.” (Archive)

Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir shared the first image and wrote, “Dog fight between PAF and IAF resulted in the defeat of India. Pakistan Air Force destroyed one Indian fighter jet in the Akhnoor area, one near Bathinda and one Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) near LoC close to Palwama. India targeted civilians, but Pakistan attacked military targets.” (Archive)

Similar claims can be found here and here. Click here and here to see the posts.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim false, as both images of crashed jets are old.

Image 1

Upon reverse image search, we found the image featured in a Times of India report published on May 21, 2021, titled “IAF pilot dies in MiG-21 crash near Moga in Punjab, probe ordered.”

According to the report, the fighter jet crashed in fields near Langeana Khurd village in Punjab’s Moga district. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh in Rajasthan and was returning after a routine sortie around Halwara. The pilot, Squadron Leader Abhinav Choudhary, tragically died in the crash.

We also found the image posted by the X (formerly Twitter) handle of Livefist on May 21, 2021, stating that a MiG-21 Bison had crashed late the previous night near Moga.

India Today and The Indian Express also reported on May 21, 2021 that the incident occurred around 1 a.m., when an IAF MiG-21 crashed in Langiana Khurd village of Baghapurana, Moga.The aircraft was on a routine training sortie at the time of the accident. Squadron Leader Abhinav Chaudhary's body was found about 2 km from the crash site after a four-hour search. His parachute had deployed, and an SOS signal was sent from his device, but he had already succumbed to his injuries by then.

Image 2

A reverse image search led us to the second image featured in a report published by The Indian Express on September 3, 2024, titled “IAF’s MiG-29 crashes in Barmer during night sortie, Pilot safe.” According to the report, the aircraft crashed in Barmer during a night sortie. However, the pilot ejected safely, and no loss of life or property was reported.

We also found the image and video of MiG-29 crash featured in an India TV report published on September 4, 2024. The report also mentioned that the jet crashed near the Uttarlai IAF airbase in Rajasthan's Barmer.

The IAF confirmed the incident in an X post on September 2, 2024, stating that during a routine night training mission in the Barmer sector, a MiG-29 encountered a critical technical snag, prompting the pilot to eject.

According to a Reuters report citing four local government sources, three Indian fighter jets crashed in Jammu and Kashmir on May 7, just hours after India announced airstrikes on nine sites it identified as Pakistani “terrorist infrastructure” across the border. A Pakistani military spokesperson told Reuters that Pakistani forces had shot down five Indian aircraft, although this claim has not been confirmed by Indian authorities.

Hence, we conclude that the claim that the images show a Rafale fighter jet shot down by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor is false.