Thai Military Debunks Fake F-16 Crash Video From Greece
Thai military officials debunked a viral video circulating on Cambodian social media that falsely claimed a Thai F-16 crashed, revealing it actually showed a Greek Air Force fighter jet that made an emergency gear-up landing in Greece.
On July 13, 2025, Brigadier General Prabhat Sonchai, director of the Thailand-Cambodia Information Center, addressed a viral video being circulated on Cambodian social media that falsely claimed a Thai Royal Air Force F-16 had crashed during a training exercise. He confirmed this is disinformation and fake news with no connection to the Thai Air Force.
Factual investigation revealed the video actually depicts a Greek Air Force F-16 Block 52+ Advanced fighter jet that experienced a technical malfunction during training in Greek airspace. The pilot decided to perform an emergency landing without lowering the landing gear (gear-up landing), which caused a fire when the aircraft touched the runway. The pilot safely evacuated the aircraft.
The incident occurred in Greece, not Thailand, and has no connection to Thai Air Force aircraft or operations. The investigation found that foreign footage was being distributed alongside misleading captions designed to make viewers believe it involved the Thai military—a clear case of presenting false and misleading information.
Brigadier General Sonchai emphasized that spreading distorted information like this can confuse the public, damage the credibility of news sources, and create false perceptions, especially during sensitive security situations. He urged citizens to verify information through reliable news outlets and official government agencies before believing or sharing it, to prevent the spread of fake news and reduce the impact of misinformation on society.
