AI video claiming to show B-2 Spirit bomber heavily damaged following Iranian strikes
Thai PBS Verify found the piece of disinformation on: Threads
The damaged B-2 Spirit video in question was published on Threads on April 21, 2026.
Thai PBS Verify พบโพสต์วิดีโอบนแพลตฟอร์ม Threads ที่เผยแพร่โดยผู้ใช้ mariam.montiel.0530 เมื่อวันที่ 21 เมษายน 2569 ซึ่งถูกแชร์จากแพลตฟอร์ม Instagram ที่เผยแพร่โดยผู้ใช้ infobyte.bd เมื่อวันที่ 20 เมษายน 2569 พร้อมระบุ
Thai PBS Verify identified a video post on Threads published by user mariam.montiel.0530 on April 21, 2026. It was shared from an Instagram post by user infobyte.bd on April 20, 2026, with the caption below.
“Footage appears to show a B-2 Spirit in flames over Bahrain, with reports claiming it was hit by an Iranian missile. The incident, if confirmed, would mark a major escalation and raise concerns about the vulnerability of advanced stealth aircraft.”
On Threads, the post received over 10,200 likes with 446 reports, 381 shares and 943 comments. Most comments trended toward the opinion that the video was faked with AI, while some believed that it was real.
The video of the B-2 Spirit being shot down is not real
Thai PBS Verify examined the video with Google Lens and found that the same footage had been posted numerous times. However, when the video was analyzed on AI image and video detection websites, it was revealed that the clip was over 80% likely to have been AI-generated.
Results from Hive Moderation indicate that the clip in question is 82.8% likely to be AI-generated.
Results from Bit Mind suggest a 88-percent likelihood that the clip may be AI-generated.
What is the current status of the B-2 Spirit bombers?
Thai PBS Verify conducted a keyword search regarding the operations of the U.S. Air Force’s B-2 Spirit bombers starting from April 1st. However, no news reports were found to corroborate the claim that Iran had successfully shot down a B-2 Spirit bomber.
A keyword search for “Iran shot down B-2 Spirit” reveals that no news agencies have reported such information.
Furthermore, the team searched for the latest updates regarding the B-2 Spirit on the official website of CENTCOM (United States Central Command), but found no reports other than the most recent update from March 29, 2026, which stated the following:
“U.S. Airmen conduct preflight operations prior to a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber departing base in the U.S. Strategic Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 29, 2026.”
A screenshot of the report from CENTCOM regarding the B-2 Spirit aircraft on March 29, 2026.
What was the most recent operation of the B-2 Spirit?
Thai PBS Verify had further searches for the most prominent recent operation of the B-2 Spirit bomber and located an article regarding an operation called “Midnight Hammer”, published by Thai PBS News on June 23, 2025. The details can be summarized as follows.
On June 20, 2025, the United States Air Force deployed seven B-2 Spirit bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Each aircraft carried two GBU-57 Bunker Buster bombs (totaling 14 bombs). All aircraft flew continuously for 18 hours to strike three nuclear facilities in Iran. That is the Fordow plant south of Tehran, the Natanz plant and the Isfahan facility, before they could reach further stages of enrichment.
Following the operation, reports concluded that the mission was a success, involving both the precision bombing by the B-2 Spirits and the launching of UGM-109 Tomahawk missiles from nearby submarines to support the strike. All aircraft safely returned to base on June 21.
The Thai PBS News article regarding Operation Midnight Hammer was published on June 23, 2025.
What is the status of Operation Epic Fury?
Additionally, Thai PBS Verify looked into further information regarding the latest progress of Operation Epic Fury and located a post by US CENTCOM on X. The post featured a presentation of the Iranian waters and the Persian Gulf closure. The details are provided in the image below.
A brief from the X account of CENTCOM illustrates the operation to close Iranian waters and the Persian Gulf.
What is the truth?
The video circulating on Threads and Instagram, claiming to show a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber in flames over Bahrain after being hit by an Iranian missile, is AI-generated.
In reality, there are no reports from any credible news agencies regarding Iran shooting down a B-2 Spirit. Furthermore, a check of the official CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) website revealed no record of such an incident. The most recent data from CENTCOM concerning the B-2 Spirit states that on March 29, 2026, U.S. airmen conducted pre-flight inspections in support of Operation Epic Fury. Consequently, the B-2 Spirit remains in normal operation and has not been shot down as claimed.
Verification Process
- Use of visual verification tools: Google Lens was utilized to trace the source of the footage, alongside AI image and video detection tools from Hive Moderation and BitMind. These tools confirmed that the clip was indeed AI-generated.
- Keyword search: A search for the keywords “Iran shot down B-2 Spirit” was conducted on Google Search to find confirmation. However, no news agencies were found to have reported anything supporting the Iranian claim.
- Cross-referencing international data: Reliable sources, including the official website and X account of CENTCOM, which provide daily updates, were consulted. No information was found that matched or supported the claims.
Potential impacts of disinformation
- Distortion of military and technological facts: Fabricating news that a strategic aircraft equipped with advanced stealth technology has been shot down undermines confidence in aerial supremacy. It also creates a misunderstanding regarding the capabilities of regional air defense systems.
- Escalation of tension and psychological warfare: This information focuses on using propaganda to embolden supporters of a particular side and incite public panic that the conflict may escalate into full-scale war.
- Increased sophistication of “deepfake” deception: Using AI to create realistic images of a plane crash (based entirely on imagination) makes it increasingly difficult for audiences to distinguish truth from fiction, leading to a “truth crisis” within online society.
- Engagement farming: Sensational headlines on a “military history” scale are often designed to lure people into viewing and sharing content, primarily to boost the visibility and engagement metrics of accounts spreading fake news.
What to do with this misinformation?
- Observe “AI anomalies” in detail: Although AI can create realistic images, it often fails in technical details, such as incorrect aircraft proportions, unrealistically diffused lightin or the texture of flames that appears smeared rather than looking like actual smoke.
- Verify directly with intelligence agencies and the military: An event of this magnitude, the downing of a B-2 Spirit (an extremely expensive and high-priority aircraft), would trigger immediate official statements from the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) or major news outlets like Reuters, AP or CNN. If the claim appears only in a Threads post, assume it is fake news.
- Check the account’s credibility history: Be cautious of accounts that frequently share “military secrets” or news without clear citations, often claiming that mainstream media is “covering up the news.” This is a fundamental pattern of conspiracy theories.
- Use fact-checking tools: When encountering news that seems alarmingly sensational, visit international fact-checking pages or websites that specialize in tracing and debunking AI-generated imagery.
- Do not forward and help report the post: Sharing a post, even with a caption like “Is this true?” still helps propagate that AI image. The best course of action is to click Report on the post as “misleading information” to notify the platform.
Editor: Nuttapoln Toomma
Translation edited by: Peerachai Pasutan
