Fact check: UFO image is digitally altered photo of Air Force training exercise

The claim: Image shows authentic UFO from 2014

Some social media users are sharing an image they claim shows a UFO near a U.S. Air Force base. 

In the image, a fighter pilot can be seen looking out the window of a cockpit at an airborne radially symmetrical object – supposedly a UFO. 

"UFO photographed on June 21, 2014 by the pilot from the cockpit of an F-16 military plane flying near Lackland Air Force Base of the United States located in San Antonio, Texas," reads a June 13 Facebook post featuring the image. 

The post garnered thousands of interactions. The image was also shared widely on Facebook in late 2021.