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'How to shoot down an F-18': Videos show Iran militia members training to use anti-aircraft missiles

France24 · 🇫🇷 public France · · 1423 words · By Ershad ALIJANI; The FRANCE
Asymmetric Warfare Iranian Military Capabilities US-Iran conflict
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What to know about Asymmetric Warfare

'How to shoot down an F-18': Videos show Iran militia members training to use anti-aircraft missiles Iran’s military forces are preparing for a potential new round of US-Israeli attacks by deploying more man-portable air defence systems, or MANPADS, drawing…

Claims checked 18
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

'How to shoot down an F-18': Videos show Iran militia members training to use anti-aircraft missiles Iran’s military forces are preparing for a potential new round of US-Israeli attacks by deploying more man-portable air defence systems, or MANPADS, drawing…

Why it matters

FRANCE 24 obtained documents and videos revealing mass training by the Revolutionary Guards for members of the Basij, the IRGC’s paramilitary force, on how to fire MANPADS.

Common ground

Since the US and Israel began their war on Iran on February 28, Iranian military forces have succeeded in shooting down or damaging several US and Israeli aircraft.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20260526-iran-manpads-basij-training-us-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8
verified Verified By Reference 4
check_circle Corroborated 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified
Claim 1: “on April 3 in southwestern Iran... an F-15 was shot down by what President Donald Trump said was a shoulder-mounted missile, or MANPADS.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly confirms an F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran on 3 April 2026, and other reports link this to shoulder-mounted missiles (MANPADS).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In early April 2026, a combat search and rescue (CSAR) operation was conducted by the United States Armed Forces to recover two crew members of an F-15E Strike Eagle of 494th Fighter Squadron that was…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_F-15E_rescu…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The involvement of the People's Republic of China in the 2026 Iran war has encompassed a range of diplomatic, intelligence, and logistical actions amid the conflict that began with coordinated airstri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_in_the_2026_Iran_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground ve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIM-92_Stinger
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 2: “on March 31, Iranian state media said an Iranian missile downed an American LUCAS suicide drone over Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a LUCAS suicide drone being downed over Qeshm Island on March 31.
verified
Claim 3: “According to a US Congressional Research Service report published on May 13, at least 42 American aircraft were destroyed or damaged during the recent war with Iran.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While evidence confirms a war in 2026, there is no mention of a Congressional Research Service report from May 13 specifying 42 aircraft destroyed. The provided search results for CRS are general descriptions of the agency, not a specific report on this war.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and joint-highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Gold_Medal
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a nonpartisan public policy research institute under the Library of Congress of the United States Congress. CRS works primarily and directly for members of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Research_Service
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Below is a list of recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Congressional_Gold_Med…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “In a report published by the New York Times on May 18, a military official warned that “the downing of the F-15E jet last month and the groundfire that struck an F-35 revealed that American flight tactics had become too predictable”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “it has developed more advanced versions: the Misagh-2 and Misagh-3, equipped with laser fuses and an effective range of five kilometres.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 6: “A report that year [2008] stated: “Countering the proliferation of Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) is a top US national security priority.””
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 7: “Since the US and Israel began their war on Iran on February 28, Iranian military forces have succeeded in shooting down or damaging several US and Israeli aircraft.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly states that since 28 February 2026, the US and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran. Other sources confirm US aircraft were shot down during this conflict.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On June 22, 2025, the United States Air Force and Navy attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran as part of the Twelve-Day War, under the code name Operation Midnight Hammer. The Fordow Uranium Enrich…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_United_States_strikes_on_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel have been engaged in a war with Iran and its regional allies. The conflict, sometimes referred to as the Third Gulf War, began when the US and Isra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iran–Israel conflict is a long-standing geopolitical and military confrontation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel, involving proxy hostilities since 1985 and direct clas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Israel_conflict
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 8: “they have also bought an unknown number of Russian Verba MANPADS, as well as Chinese systems.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 9: “Iranian forces say they hit more American aircraft, at least one MC-130 and an A-10 Warthog, potentially with MANPADS fire.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including France 24 and reports on Iran's state TV, confirm Iranian claims of hitting an MC-130 and an A-10 Warthog during the F-15 rescue mission.
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 5, 2026 · During a US rescue mission in Iran, at least two MC- 130J aircraft, each worth over $100 million, were destroyed while recovering crew ...
https://www.facebook.com/newswireLK/posts/iran-says-it-shot-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 5, 2026 · In total, Iran has caused two military aircraft to crash — the F-15 and the A-10 — and hit two Blackhawk helicopters in a single day. Trump's ...
https://www.facebook.com/cgtneuropeofficial/posts/iran-said-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 6, 2026 · Iran's state TV aired a video on Sunday of what it claimed were two American helicopters and a transport plane shot down by the country's ...
https://time.com/article/2026/04/05/-safe-and-sound-how-a-u-…
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Claim 10: “dozens of aircraft, including one F-15, one F-18 and an MC-130, were shot down or damaged by Iranian MANPADS or low-altitude surface-to-air missile systems.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (France 24, South Front, and Wikipedia) confirm the loss of an F-15, an A-10, and MC-130 aircraft, attributing these losses to Iranian forces and specifically mentioning MANPADS/shoulder-fired missiles.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of aircraft types operated by the Iranian Air Force, not including those operated by the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This list includes aircraft operated …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_of_the_Irania…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of aviation shootdowns, incidents and accidents during the 2026 Iran war based on visual evidence or official self-admission from involved parties. It includes proven helicopters, fixed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aviation_shootdowns_an…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models: the original F-…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_F-5
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 11: “On March 25, Iranian forces damaged a US F-18 in southern Iran using a MANPADS.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a US F-18 being damaged in southern Iran on March 25.
verified
Claim 12: “MANPADS are lightweight guided missiles that can be operated by a single crew member and do not require radar to track an aircraft.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and other technical sources define MANPADS as portable, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles that are guided weapons (infrared) and do not require external radar for tracking.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-portable_air-defense_syste…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — While the NLAW uses a ‘predictive line of sight’ guidance method where it calculates the distance and speed of the target on its own, the Javelins use infrared technology which sense the heat emitted …
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/what-are-manpads…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The development of MANPADS began in the 1960s with systems like the US FIM-43 Redeye and the Soviet Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail).
https://missilestrikes.com/guide/what-is-manpad/
schedule
Claim 13: “As early as 2008, the US State Department listed Iran among more than 20 countries that had produced such systems.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 14: “Iran began producing the Misagh-1 in the early 2000s, based on the Chinese QW-1 Vanguard.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 15: “the Misagh-3, are equipped with a laser detonation system”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 16: “they produced what were effectively homemade tutorial videos... showing how to use the Misagh-1 and Sahand-3, two Iranian-made MANPADS”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 17: “their range is limited to between 5 and 10 kilometres, and their small warheads, usually weighing between 1 and 3 kg”
CORROBORATED
Technical data from Quora and other sources regarding specific MANPADS (like the SA-7 and Stinger) cite ranges around 8-10km and warhead weights around 3kg, aligning with the claim's ranges.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground ve…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIM-92_Stinger
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS or MPADS) are portable shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles. They are guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-portable_air-defense_syste…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The QW-2 (NATO reporting name: CH-SA-8) is a Chinese man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) MANPADS. The system has improved performance against targets flying faster and at lower-a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QW-2_MANPADS
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 18: “Russia had to add flare systems to its cruise missiles to mislead MANPADS.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent news reports (Yahoo and a separate web search result) confirm that Russian Kh-101 cruise missiles were filmed firing decoy flares to mislead MANPADS during the Ukraine conflict.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 9K38 Igla is a Soviet/Russian man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM) system. A simplified, earlier version is known as the 9K310 ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9K38_Igla
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 29, 2023 ... ... missile and drone barrage on cities across Ukraine ... That Russia would be interested in giving its cruise missiles additional built-in ...
https://www.twz.com/russian-kh-101-cruise-missile-filmed-fir…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dec 29, 2023 ... ... missile and drone barrage on cities across Ukraine ... That Russia would be interested in giving its cruise missiles additional built-in ...
https://www.yahoo.com/news/russian-kh-101-cruise-missile-024…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.