US President Donald Trump said on June 9 that Iran: Shooting down a US Apache attack helicopter It was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz.
The next day, a pro-government Iranian online user shared a video purportedly showing the plane’s destruction on X. The clip received over 5 million views.
Users in pro-regime Iran shared the video on June 10, claiming it shows Iranian soldiers shooting down an Apache helicopter. In fact, it was generated by AI. Source: X.
The video shows Iranian soldiers targeting a helicopter with MANPADS.Air defense system that can be carried by humans A device that fires surface-to-air missiles. The missile hit the helicopter and exploded amid cheers from soldiers watching the scene.
A social media user who shared the video wrote, “Iran shot down a $1 billion US military plane using $150 worth of weapons. For the first time, America met a real enemy.”
Iranian soldier wearing an American flag
However, this video is fake. It contains several inconsistencies, suggesting it was generated by artificial intelligence. For example, this soldier is said to be part of the Iranian military, but he is wearing an American flag insignia on his right shoulder.
The soldier who shot down the helicopter was wearing an American flag insignia. ©X
Another contradiction is that the soldiers’ weapons do not match any known defense systems in the Iranian military’s arsenal.
The grip and aiming system of the missile launcher shown in the video is different from the MANPADS model used by the Iranian military. Misag-1, Misag-2, Misag-3or Igra. For example, Misagh-1 is equipped with two grips, but the launcher in the video has only one.
Comparison of MANPADS (left) seen in the video and the Misagh-1 (right) used by the Iranian military. You can see the difference in the handles of the two models. © https://www.armyrecognition.com/
various silhouettes
The final anomaly is in the silhouette of the crashed helicopter. The aircraft in the AI-generated video does not match the profile of a real Apache, which features a very distinctive silhouette that is easily spotted from a distance. This is obvious when you look at the photo Captured during a U.S. Army flight demonstration in Chicago in 2024.
The image above is a screenshot of the video generated by AI. Below are several Apache helicopters photographed at the August 2024 Chicago Air and Water Show. © Instagram @incidentresponse
The real aircraft has engines on each side of the fuselage, making it rectangular when viewed from the front, but the AI-generated video lacks details.
Additionally, the real Apache is equipped with four different weapon hardpoints, two on each side, while only two are visible on the aircraft in the AI video.
Finally, a social media user’s claim that the downed military Apache helicopter was worth “$1 billion” is completely inaccurate. The Apache is certainly an expensive and sophisticated attack helicopter, with unit costs ranging from $26 million to just over $38 million (approximately €22.5 million to €33 million), according to US Department of Defense documents.
This article has been translated from Original French text.
