WEBDESK: Azaad Fact Check has identified a false claim circulating on X (previously called Twitter), where an India-based account alleged that no Rafale fighter jets were shot down and that only decoys were targeted.
According to Azaad Fact Check “Azaad Fact Check has identified misinformation spread by an India-based X account claiming that decoys, not Rafale fighter jets, were shot down. The wreckage of a Snecma M88 engine, found in Aklian Kalan village, Punjab, is used exclusively in Dassault Rafale jets. No decoys utilize this engine.”
Azaad Fact Check has identified misinformation spread by an India-based X account claiming that decoys, not Rafale fighter jets, were shot down. The wreckage of a Snecma M88 engine, found in Aklian Kalan village, Punjab, is used exclusively in Dassault Rafale jets. No decoys… https://t.co/iDsSzfmX4Y pic.twitter.com/ML98FJgKB5
— Azaad Fact Check (@azaadfactcheck) July 9, 2025
Wreckages found on the Aklian Kalan village in Punjab consist of the parts of a Snecma M88 cruise engine- a turbofan engine unique to Dassault Rafale fighter jets.
There is no aerial decoy system known to utilise specifically this engine which directly disproves the pretext of decoys being destroyed.
BIG
— Frontalforce 🇮🇳 (@FrontalForce) July 8, 2025
A 30kg AI-powered decoy used by India during Operation Sindoor FOOLED Pakistan into believing it had DOWNED a Rafale. [ET]
A former US F-16 pilot called it “the best deception ever seen.” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TERVLVJsEc
The fake post seems to be a part of a wider pattern of denial and misinformation by some Indian social media accounts in the aftermath of a very humiliating military defeat.
These sources have tried to create other evidence to play down the result, but their attempts are not founded in fact and have long been dismissed.
This is set to happen at a time when India faces increasing diplomatic isolation in the international arena.
A recent example of this is when the United States directly denied India that the new ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan had been made without the involvement of a third party.
The United States has openly contradicted Indian claim that the latest ceasefire between Pakistan and India came about without any outside involvement.
Confirmation was found in Washington to the fact Washington had indeed facilitated the truce, diminishing the New Delhi narrative of unilateral diplomatic initiative.
This is a fact check that can remind everyone of the need to verify information, particularly during these moments of tensions, before sharing it on social media.
Read more: US refutes Indian claim of no foreign role in recent Pakistan-India ceasefire
