Did Pakistan hit a Sukhoi-30MKI parked at Adampur air base in Punjab? Or destroy an S-400 surface-to-air missile unit at Bhuj airfield in Gujarat? Those are the two latest fantasies being pushed as part of a month-long campaign of wishful thinking and weaponised misinformation from Islamabad.
In the wake of India’s Operation Sindoor, Pakistan had scrambled to project a counter-narrative of success in hitting Indian airfields and installations. With little to show by way of actual damage on Indian military infrastructure, it turned to doctored satellite images, fake visuals, and misinformation campaigns. Two new instances show Pakistan hasn’t given up, and is relying even more heavily on doctored or incorrectly projected imagery to suggest damage.
Top imagery analyst Damien Symon has serially debunked these claims over the last month, exposing how Pakistan attempted to fabricate battlefield success using recycled, manipulated, or misunderstood visuals, including imagery supplied by a Chinese satellite firm.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of Pakistan’s false claims, starting with the latest.
Adampur Airbase: Sukhoi-30MKI ‘Strike’ That Wasn’t
Pakistan claimed it had struck and damaged a Sukhoi-30MKI at India’s Adampur airbase. The satellite image used to support the claim showed a jet near what appeared to be a burn mark. Upon review, the image turned out to be from a time before the conflict and actually depicted a MiG-29 undergoing routine maintenance. The supposed damage was nothing more than soot buildup from repeated engine testing.
New report alleges a direct hit at India’s Adampur Air Base by Pakistan damaged a Su-30, however a review reveals this image taken in March 2025, pre-conflict actually shows a MiG-29 undergoing maintenance, the dark soot near the engine test pad is routine, not battle damage pic.twitter.com/GOC1NVRX9I
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 8, 2025
Bhuj Airbase: The Phantom S-400 Hit
Another image was circulated claiming destruction of an Indian S-400 radar system at Bhuj. The image showed dark patches on a military base apron. On analysis, these were revealed to be oil stains or fuel spillage from a vehicle maintenance yard. The image was captured well before any hostilities and had no relation to a strike.
An image is being circulated now as a Pakistan destroyed S-400 radar in India, a review however indicates it’s likely just oil stains at Bhuj military base’s vehicle service yard, also the image predates the recent Indo-Pak conflict as it was taken in February 2025 pic.twitter.com/Y850jfk4n9
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 6, 2025
Adampur Airbase: Faked S-400 Damage
A separate claim suggested an S-400 battery at Adampur was hit by Pakistan. The satellite image was heavily edited, with superimposed black spots intended to mimic missile impact craters. When compared to current satellite imagery, no such marks or damage were visible at the location. It was yet another instance of deliberate manipulation.
Naliya Airbase: Shadow Passed Off As Strike
Pakistan circulated an image of Naliya airbase that appeared to show soil darkening around the runway, suggesting a bombing raid. Analysis revealed the supposed damage was the shadow of an overhead cloud. The airbase infrastructure remained completely untouched.
A new image of Naliya Airbase in India, dated 12 May 2025 is being circulated highlighting the darkening of soil around the runway as damage, however verification of the image reveals a shadow of a cloud overhead as the reason behind this apparent discoloration on ground pic.twitter.com/Xt0YyHFV1o
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) May 15, 2025
Srinagar Airport: Visual Misrepresentation
A hazy image showing the civilian apron at Srinagar airport was used to suggest bomb damage. Multiple clear satellite images taken across different days showed no change to the site. The image being pushed was either altered or misread, with no visible damage found on the ground.
An image now circulating claims to show damage at Srinagar Airport as a result of the recent India-Pakistan conflict, however, a review with multiple recent images shows inconsistencies, no such damage is found at the airport, this image was likely manipulated or misinterpreted pic.twitter.com/MwMYBwRnUg
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 2, 2025
Adampur Airbase: Chinese Image, Same Fake Damage
Imagery released by a Chinese satellite company was also used to support the claim of a successful Pakistani strike on Adampur. The supposed damage area in that image matched an identical feature visible in previous imagery, long before the conflict. It was clear the mark being described as new damage was not related to any airstrike.
Chinese released image of Adampur airbase, India – dated 12 May 2025, find only vehicle tracks in the target area shared by Pak ISPR, report no damage, once again leading to an inconclusive result regarding the strike on this location pic.twitter.com/IInEBVYrvW
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) May 15, 2025
Jammu Airport: Tampered Visuals, No Impact
A widely shared image claimed to show damage at Jammu airport, with blackened spots along the runway and apron area. A comparison with high-resolution, post-strike visuals confirmed no destruction at the site. The image had been digitally altered, and the supposed blast marks did not exist in reality.
A doctored, manipulated image of Jammu Airport is being circulated to falsely imply damage on site, however recent visuals confirm no such destruction, infact, the tampered image predates May 09-10, 2025 pic.twitter.com/zMdBhlDpIz
— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) May 11, 2025
Across every instance, Pakistan’s claims have failed basic verification. None of the Indian sites shown as targets suffered any real damage from Pakistan’s retaliation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even visited the Adampur airbase days after Operation Sindoor began.
Recent imagery from Jacobabad Airbase, Pakistan indicates that the hangar damaged in the Indian airstrike is now covered with tarpaulin/
some other covering possibly signaling repair activity/restoration is now underway pic.twitter.com/NNBkwpkf6b— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) June 6, 2025
On the contrary, high-resolution satellite imagery of Indian airstrikes on Pakistani airbases, especially Jacobabad and Bholari, reveals extensive repair activity. Tarpaulin sheets have been deployed to cover structures and aircraft, almost certainly to hide the extent of physical damage on the ground.
