Viral footage of downed fighter jet turns out to be gameplay taken from ARMA 3

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you.

Footage has been circulating online claiming that a Pakistan fighter jet, JF-17 Thunder, was "shot down by Indian Defence". Closer analysis has confirmed that the footage was, in fact, gameplay taken from the online military simulation game ARMA 3.

The footage, which began circulating on X, reached over 3.4 million viewers, captioned: "Pakistan jet JF-17 thunder shot down by Indian Defence". Users were quick to dispel the claims, with one commenter highlighting "Arma 3.", and another "It's a computer game." The platform's community notes now specify "from a video game ARMA 3", and an AI summary from GROK also reinforcing that the claim was false.

The post accompanies escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. On Wednesday, the Indian military engaged in multiple missile strikes in an attack dubbed Operation Sindoor, during which, over 31 casualties were reported. Pakistan has claimed to have since retaliated, with instability continuing to shake through the region.

Reverse image searches of the footage reveal that the ARMA 3 footage was shared on Instagram in March and April of this year - predating Operation Sindoor. Commenters were even fooled back then, with a user remarking "Holy crap, is this the Donbas airport? Those are Russian jets!". The footage posted in March and April had no context attached to it.

2

Credit: The Quint

ARMA 3, with its simulation-focused gameplay, is known for its attention to detail, realistic combat mechanics, and large open world maps. In this instance, the game was misrepresented as real world footage. However, given its use among military enthusiasts, modders, and even armed forces - it would be difficult to fault anyone for being fooled at first glance.