This video shows remote control model planes in China, not real J-20 stealth fighters

Updated on 16/12/2022 at 08:07

A video of remote-controlled fighter jet models flying at a competition in China has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times in social media posts in several languages and even published by the Chinese embassy in France alongside a false claim that it shows Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets. A reverse image search found that the footage matches images from the Jet World Masters, a competition for model aircraft, held in the eastern Chinese city of Rongcheng in 2019. Audio from a different air show in China, in which full-size J-20 jets flew in a display, has been added to the model airplane footage. Additionally, an expert who analysed the footage told AFP the model planes' movement and their smoke trails show that they are not full-sized manned jets.