Trump campaign ad used stock photo of Russian fighter jets: report

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A fundraising ad for President Trump’s reelection campaign reportedly used a stock photo featuring Russian fighter jets and weapons, as part of a call to “support our troops."

Made by the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, the ad first appeared on Sept. 8 and ran until Sept. 12.

Pierre Sprey, who helped design F-16 and A-10 planes for the U.S. Air Force, identified the aircraft in the ad was a Russian fighter jet. He noticed the "angle of the aircraft’s tail, the way the tail is swept far back, and the spacing of the engines, along with the tunnel between them," according to Politico.

“That’s definitely a MiG-29,” he told the paper. “I’m glad to see it’s supporting our troops.”

The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News.

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The MiG-29s were also confirmed by Ruslan Pkhov, the director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies in Moscow. He added at least one of the soldiers in the image was carrying a Russian-made AK-74 assault rifle.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally at Xtreme Manufacturing, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The stock photo used is available on Shutterstock, with its creator apparently based in Angola, Politico reported. Its caption is titled: "Military silhouettes of soldiers and airforce against the backdrop of sunset sky."

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The photo comes days after a Reuters report found that a consulting firm working with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's 2020 campaign was targeted by hackers connected to the Russian government. Trump's critics have long criticized the president and his approach to Russia.

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The Trump Make America Great Again Committee is a joint fundraising committee composed of Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. and the Republican National Committee (RNC).

Fox News' Evie Fordham and Vandana Rambaran contributed to this report