No one would ever convince me that is a real photo.
I haven't looked into it.
The struts/landing gear looked out of place, to me . . . i.e. not designed to fit the craft.
I wonder if it was some kind of made-up stock photo as a mere illustration. But that doesn't make a lot of sense given the article.
I have seen a different photo of a UFO purportedly landed on an aircraft carrier. The photo must have been taken from the island/tower as it's looking down on the craft from about that height and angle. It looked quite a bit more authentic.
I was also a bit surprised about 'that was the way the critters met with our leaders at the time' bit of the narrative. The historic narrative contends it was at Air Force bases.
Not sure what to make of Tompkins' name being associated with such a questionable story.