Unrelated CGI Visuals Peddled As Iran Shooting Down US Fighter Jets

Videos of computer-generated imagery (CGI) of a fighter jet being shot down and a jet dropping bombs on an installation is being falsely shared on social media as footage of Iran shooting down US fighter jets.

The visuals are viral amid tensions following US airstrikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran - Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan, on June 22. While Iranian officials have confirmed the sites were targeted, they denied sustaining significant damage. These strikes mark a major escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel with the US directly getting involved in the West Asian conflict.

The Claim: Video shows Iran Shooting Down US Fighter Jet

The video is being shared with a Malayalam caption on Facebook, "No wonder Trump is mad. How will Trump tolerate this? Iran is shooting down an American-made state-of-the-art fighter jet... This aircraft is said to have modern technology known in the world; not radar detected" (translated from Malayalam to English).

What We Found: Simulation Video

1. Visuals of Fighter Jet Being Shot Down from Simulation Game: BOOM broke the viral video into key frames and ran a reverse image search, which showed that the same visuals were previously uploaded on YouTube on April 30, 2025, by a channel named Masti Mania. The same video was later posted on May 8, 2025, by another user, INFO DOT DK, stating that the visuals were taken from a military simulation game. We also found several other visuals on this channel that match with the viral video.

2. Visuals of Jet Dropping Bombs Trace Back to 2023 VFX Video: BOOM broke these visuals into key frames and ran a reverse image search using Google Lens. The results showed that the footage dates back to 2023 and was originally posted by the YouTube channel Unreal VFX on May 16, 2023. In the caption, the creator wrote: “Hi guys. In this video I make some boom action with #adobe #aftereffects. And so I added explosion effects, sfx for everything.” This confirms that the visuals were digitally created using visual effects software and are not real combat footage.

3. Same CGI Visuals Went Viral During Operation Sindoor with False Claims of Pakistan Airstrikes: The same CGI visuals had previously gone viral during the recent India-Pakistan conflict after Operation Sindoor. At the time, in May 2025, several Pakistani social media users falsely claimed the videos showed Pakistan carrying out airstrikes on an Indian airbase.