QuickCheck: Did several fighter aircraft seen at a port belong to the RMAF?

THE sight of military hardware in a public place – such as a port – is bound to turn heads due to the rarity of such occurrences, and as such any news and photos of incidents like these tend to go viral rather rapidly.

Recently, a 10-second video with images of several fighter jets believed to be located at a port went viral along with a claim that those aircraft belonged to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF).

Is this true?

VERDICT:

FALSE

In a statement, the RMAF denied that the aircraft seen in the video – which claimed that they were US-made Northrop F-5E fighters – belonged to the air force.

It acknowledged that the video had gone viral on several social media platforms, including Facebook, TikTok and X.

“The RMAF would like to clarify that all aircraft it owns are controlled and managed systematically and safely according to our operational standards,” it said on Monday (Nov 11).

“We urge that no further assumptions regarding this matter be made that could lead to speculation or incorrect perception,” added the RMAF.