After shooting down the U.S. F-15, Iran quickly captured the American pilot who had ejected and landed, but pretended not to have caught him, luring the U.S. into a rescue operation.
The U.S. dispatched two armed helicopters for the rescue mission. Compared to jet fighters, these armed helicopters were slow-moving and thus easier to target.
As a result, both U.S. helicopters sent to rescue the pilots were hit; the pilots were injured but survived, barely managing to return to base, and the rescue operation failed.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861493804271616/
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