Following the crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow on 21 November 2025, which killed Wing Commander Namansh Syal, a video is circulating on social media (here, here) claiming to show Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, criticising the aircraft. In the clip, he is allegedly heard saying, “I already told the Indian government not to fly this and not to induct this in the Air Force, but they did not listen to us. And see, this happened today. This is not a plane. This is a samosa. And samosas are not meant to fly.” Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: The video shows IAF Chief AP Singh criticising the Tejas jet after the Dubai Airshow crash.
Fact: The viral clip is digitally manipulated. IAF Chief Marshal AP Singh did not criticise the Tejas fighter jet after the Dubai Airshow crash on 21 November 2025. The visuals in the clip are from a press briefing held on 03 October 2025 during the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations. The audio in the viral video was digitally added using an AI-generated voice and is not part of his briefing. Multiple AI voice-analysis checks also indicated that the audio is artificially generated. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check has confirmed that the video is fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A Google search using relevant keywords did not return any credible media reports or official statements of IAF Chief AP Singh criticising the Tejas fighter jet after the Dubai Airshow crash.
We then conducted a reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video, which led us to a press briefing by Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, live-streamed on the ANI Bharat YouTube channel during the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations on 03 October 2025. The visuals in this live stream match those in the viral video. The briefing predates the Tejas crash in Dubai on 21 November 2025, confirming that this video cannot be related to the recent crash.
We reviewed the entire briefing and found that Singh highlighted the success and precision of Operation Sindoor, noting the longest-ever kill (over 300 km) and the use of indigenously integrated weapons that ensured swift conflict termination. He also discussed the IAF’s Vision 2047, aimed at transforming the force into a multi-domain capable aerospace power based on Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) and integrated structures like the IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System). We found no instance of Singh warning the Indian government about the Tejas or advising against it. This confirms that the viral video has been digitally manipulated. The audio heard in the viral clip was added separately to visuals from his original speech and is not part of Air Chief Marshal AP Singh’s actual address.
We then analysed the viral video using multiple AI detection tools, including SynthID and Hiya. The results indicate that the audio in the clip is likely AI-generated or a deepfake. This confirms that the viral video is fake and digitally altered, with the original visuals paired with manipulated audio.
Additionally, we found an X post by PIB Fact Check dated 23 November 2025 debunking the viral video. The post stated that social media handles are sharing an AI-manipulated video falsely showing Air Chief Marshal AP Singh criticising the Tejas fighter jet.
To sum up, this viral video claiming to show IAF Chief AP Singh criticising the Tejas jet after the Dubai Airshow crash is fake.
