Fact Check: Tejas fighter jet crash – IAF Chief AP Singh criticises aircraft? No, video is AI-manipulated
A video has been circulating online, claiming it shows IAF Chief AP Singh criticising the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Tejas fighter jet.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows Air Chief Marshal AP Singh criticising the Indian Air Force’s Tejas fighter jet after the crash at Dubai Airshow on November 21.
Fact:The claim is false. The video has been manipulated by merging AI-generated audio.
Hyderabad: Following the crash of an Indian Air Force Tejas fighter jet during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow on November 21, killing Wing Commander Namansh Syal, a video of Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, the Chief of the Air Staff, criticising the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Tejas fighter jet during a press briefing has been circulating on social media.
“I already told the Indian government not to fly this and not to induct this in the Air Force, but they did not listen to us. And see, this happened today. This is not a plane. This is a samosa. And samosas are not meant to fly,” the IAF chief is allegedly heard saying in the nine-second video.
A Facebook user shared the video with the caption, “Shameful, if this is true.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video has been manipulated using AI.
What is the media coverage about the IAF chief’s ‘criticism’ of the Tejas fighter jet?
A keyword search yielded no media reports about IAF Chief AP Singh criticising the Tejas fighter jet, nor was any such statement found on the official Indian Air Force social media accounts.
Source of the video
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframe traced the footage to a press briefing by Singh that was live-streamed on the ANI Bharat YouTube channel during the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations on October 3.
During the briefing, Singh highlighted the success and precision of Operation Sindoor, emphasising the achievement of the longest-ever kill (over 300 km) and the deployment of indigenously integrated weapons that led to swift conflict termination.
He also discussed the IAF’s work on Vision 2047, aimed at transforming the force into a multi-domain capable aerospace power built on the principles of Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) and integrated structures such as the IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System).
Notably, the briefing predates the Tejas crash in Dubai, and at no point does Singh criticise the Tejas fighter jet.
Inconsistencies in the viral video
We identified a noticeable voice change between 0:06–0:09, marked by a sudden increase in pitch. This hinted that the video was manipulated.
Tool result
We extracted the audio from the video and subjected it to analysis on an AI-detection tool. Four of its detectors concluded that the audio is likely AI-generated, with a confidence score of 87.8. 100, 89.6 and 99.6 per cent, respectively.
Government clarification
The fact-checking wing of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), from its official X handle on November 23, stated that the video is AI-manipulated and it wrongly shows Air Chief Marshal AP Singh criticising the Tejas fighter jet.
Therefore, we conclude that the viral video featuring Air Chief Marshal AP Singh has been manipulated by merging AI-generated audio. The claim that Singh criticised the Tejas fighter is false.
