Fact Check: Udhampur airbase destroyed by Pakistani JF-17 fighter jets? No, video is AI-generated
An AI-generated video is being shared online, falsely claiming it shows the destruction of the Udhampur airbase after Pakistan’s airstrike.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows the destruction of Udhampur Air Force Station after an airstrike by Pakistan’s JF-17 fighter jets
Fact:The claim is false. The video is AI-generated.
Hyderabad: During recent cross-border hostilities, Pakistan claimed it had successfully targeted India’s Udhampur Air Force Station. In this context, a video has been circulating on social media, purportedly containing images of a fire at an airbase with several damaged aircraft, accompanied by allegations that the Udhampur base was destroyed by the Pakistani strike.
The audio in the video claims that while Pakistan failed to destroy the Udhampur airbase during the 1965 and 1971 wars, its JF-17 fighter jets have now completely destroyed it in 2025.
A Facebook user shared the video and wrote, “Scenes of the destruction of Udhampur Airbase.” (Translated from Urdu)
Several X users (links here and here) shared the screengrab of the video with the caption, “Indian Airbase Udhampur.”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video does not show Udhampur Air Force Station. Also, the video is AI-generated.
We conducted a reverse image search of keyframes from the video but could not trace it back to any original source or credible media outlet. This raised the possibility that the video might be AI-generated.
To verify this, we analysed the video using the AI detection tool Hive Moderation. The analysis concluded that the video is most likely AI-generated, with an overall aggregate score of 99.7 per cent. Specifically, the tool assessed that the visuals were likely AI-generated with a confidence score of 93 per cent, and the audio was also likely AI-generated, scoring 99 per cent.
Another tool, Deepfake-O-Meter, did not yield conclusive results for the visuals. However, out of seven classifiers, four assessed the audio as likely AI-generated with a 100 per cent confidence score, while one classifier gave a score of 99 per cent, also indicating likely AI generation.
On May 15, the PIB Fact Check X handle posted a screenshot from the video and clarified that the Indian Air Force does not operate any aircraft of the type shown. It also confirmed that the visuals are not from the Udhampur Air Force Station.
Was Udhampur Air Force Station damaged during the recent conflict?
A New York Times report dated May 14 stated that, according to Pakistani state media, their armed forces had ‘destroyed’ India’s Udhampur airbase. However, the satellite imagery from May 12 does not appear to show any visible damage.
Therefore, we conclude that the video is AI-generated and does not show the destruction of Udhampur Air Force Station. The claim is false.
