Does a viral video show a real-life scene of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flying over a U.S. military ship in the Persian Gulf "to raise troop morale"? No, that's not true: The account that initially uploaded the clip on social media disclosed that it was not real footage. The original label said that the clip was digitally created.
The claim reappeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X on April 13, 2026. It opened:
Why does their morale need to be raised? Trump has said over 25 times that we won the war! Pentagon: A B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flies by a US Carrier in the Persian Gulf to raise troop morale during intense conflict.
The post contained a 25-second video. It appeared to capture a man saying the following behind the camera:
That is a b2 stealth bomber. The chief, chief told us this thing was going to come by today and fly around the carrier. It's like a morale booster...
Here is what the clip's thumbnail looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @realalexjones on X.)
B-2 Spirit stealth bombers do participate (archived here) in the 2026 U.S. operation "Epic Fury" against Iran, but the video in question doesn't show that.
The thumbnail above raised the first question about the clip's authenticity. It showed a white object that appeared to be a life raft canister. The stamp on it read:
LAST USAGE
JUNE 09.
While it is unclear whether the marking referred to the date of last inspection or the item's expiration, a June 2009 date on equipment used in an active combat zone in 2026 would be significantly outdated.
In a subsequent frame, what appears to be a trailer or lowboy tractor bears the kind of illegible inscription often seen when AI is used to create official vehicles:
(Image source: post by @realalexjones on X.)
The service members on the vessel's deck wear uniforms of different colors, including bright shades of yellow and red that can be easily spotted by enemy forces. Lead Stories did not find similar outfits among standard uniform components listed on the U.S. Navy website (archived here).
(Image source: post by @realalexjones on X.)
Service members on deck showed no movement or reaction to the approaching bomber -- an implausible response in any real scenario.
Contrary to the claim, the video did not come from official Pentagon channels.
A reverse image led to a longer, 1-minute version of the video (archived here) published on YouTube on March 3, 2026. Its caption, in part, read:
#digitalart This video was created digitally.
That account's description (archived here) read:
Mixed reality digital aviation videos.
A version of the video published on the same day by the account of the same name on Instagram (archived here) also showed a disclaimer:
This video is created digitally.
However, when the same user shared the video on Facebook (archived here), that post did not disclose that the clip was not real footage.
Lead Stories reached out for comments to the U.S. Navy. If we get a response, this story will be updated as appropriate.
