Recently, a video of several fighter jets receiving a water cannon salute went viral on social media, claiming it to be an Indian Air Force show in Dubai.
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However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The viral video predates the Dubai Air Show. Here’s the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a video uploaded on a Facebook page on 24 September 2025.
The caption of the video read, “A glimpse of history in the making — the MiG-21 fighter jet, which has served the nation for decades, marked its retirement with a rehearsal ceremony at Chandigarh Air Force Station. The grand farewell event will take place on 26th September 2025.”
Here, we noticed a few clips similar to the viral video.
Taking this clue, we conducted a relevant keyword search. This led us to the official Facebook page of ANI where we found the video of the full dress rehearsal held ahead of MIG-21’s 26 September 2025 farewell.
A few clips matched that of the viral video.
We found the clip showing water cannon salute to the MIG-21 on the YouTube channels Republic World and India Today.
The full video of the main event can be seen below.
The viral video shows MIG-21 fighter planes that have been retired on 26 September 2025. However, in the Dubai Air Show, “Tejas” and “Surya Kiran” participated.
This makes it clear that the viral video predates the Dubai Air Show.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral video doesn’t show the IAF Air Show in Dubai. The video is from the MIG-21 farewell ceremony held in Chandigarh in September 2025.
Title:Old Unrelated Video Shared As IAF Air Show In Dubai.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: False
