Fact Check-Digital simulation footage of a UFO flying over Alaska shared online as authentic

Video of a UFO approaching a fighter jet over Alaska is a digital simulation.

According to a Reuters report, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet did shoot down an unidentified object flying over Alaska on Feb. 10 (here). The video, however, does not depict the shootdown or the UFO approaching the fighter jet.

A tweet sharing video purporting to show the encounter has been viewed more than 201,000 times at the time of writing (here). The claim was also shared on Facebook (here) and (here).

The pilot can be heard saying “looks like something ah, some kind of object” at the beginning of the clip, as the fighter jet encounters the UFO.

The footage can be traced back to a YouTube channel that shares flight simulation videos, however. Its “About” section states, “This channel will take you on an adventure around the globe in the front seat of airplane simulators” (here).

In the caption, the user acknowledges that the video has been generated through Microsoft Flight Simulator (www.flightsimulator.com/). The clip can be seen at 00:38 (here).

VERDICT

Miscaptioned. Footage of a UFO approaching a fighter jet over Alaska is a flight simulation.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts (here).