Old Fighter Jet Crash Image Falsely Shared by Pakistani Social Media as Indian Air Force Jets Shot Down During Operation Sindoor.

In a terrorist attack that occurred in Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, militants targeted tourists based on their religion, resulting in the deaths of 26 people. In response, India launched “Operation Sindoor” on May 6, 2025, conducting airstrikes on nine sites in Pakistan and POK. Pakistan had claimed that it shot down five Indian Airforce jets. 

Against this backdrop, a couple of images of crashed fighter jets are viral on social media. Users are claiming that these are Indian fighter jets that were attacking Pakistan but were shot down by the Pakistan Airforce. 

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Fact Check- 

There are two images of crashed fighter planes. Let’s check the facts of each one by one. 

Pic 1: A Google Reverse Image Search on the image led us to the same image published in Times of India report in 2021. According to the report, on 20 May 2021, an Indian Air Force MiG-21 Bison fighter jet crashed in a field in Moga district, Punjab. The pilot, Squadron Leader Abhinav Choudhary lost his life in the accident. His body was found approximately 2 kilometers from the crash site. The aircraft had taken off from Suratgarh Airbase in Rajasthan for a routine night training sortie and was returning when the crash occurred around 11 PM.

According to another source, this is an old image of a crashed jet which is being shared online with the false claim that Pakistan recently shot down an Indian Rafael jet near Bahawalpur during Operation Sindoor. The photo is from a 2021 crash of an Indian Air Force MiG-21 in a field near Langeana Khurd village in Moga district, Punjab.

Pic 2: A Google Reverse Image Search on the second image led us to the Hindustan Times report in 2024. According to the report, on September 2, 2024, an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet crashed near Barmer, Rajasthan, during a routine night training mission. The pilot safely ejected from the plane without any reported injuries. 

Conclusion: 

Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. Old and unrelated images of crashed IAF fighter jets shared by Pakistani social media users as a recent incident during Operation Sindoor. The first image is four years old from Punjab while the second image is from 2024 from Barmer, Rajasthan.