Fact Check: Did the Royal Air Force Paint a Jet in Pink for Pride Month?
The post read, "Photo of the Day: This F22 from 7175Sqn has been painted pink to celebrate the start of Pride Month," alongside an image of a bright pink jet. It further claimed the aircraft would be repainted every four days to match each rainbow color for £80,085 per paint.
The image and text soon appeared on Facebook as well, where users debated the purpose and cost of such a move. Some questioned military priorities while others saw it as political pandering. "Starmer prepares for war, meanwhile, what's the real preparation going on in real time here in the U.K," read one Facebook post sharing the claim and photo. Under the original X post, one user commented, "Putin will be quaking in his boots, pathetic."
The main point of discussion quickly shifted toward the perceived use of government funds and the symbolism of the gesture. While some supported the idea as a form of inclusive celebration, others viewed it as unnecessary or even fictional. Yet, the tone of the post and the exaggerated cost failed to alert many viewers that it was, in fact, satire.
Fact Check
A spokesperson from the Royal Air Force confirmed there were no plans to paint any aircraft for Pride Month and clarified that the "7175 squadron" mentioned in the post does not exist. Additionally, the base "RAF Luton" is fictitious.
In reality, the account "RAF_Luton" on X is known for its satirical military-themed posts. Its bio clearly states it is the "assumed official Twitter account of the world's most mysterious & secret (and fictitious) military base." Despite this, many users seemed unaware of its parody nature.
The pink plane image contains a watermark for flightsim.to—a site used by flight simulation hobbyists to design virtual aircraft. Reuters could not confirm if the photo was created on the platform, and the site didn't respond to a comment.
Hence, it's clear that the RAF has no plans to paint jets for Pride Month. The viral claim originated from a parody account known for fictional content.
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