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| F-86 Sabre | |
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 A North American F-86 during the Oshkosh Air Show |
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| Type | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Designed by | Edgar Schmued |
| Maiden flight | 1 October 1947 |
| Introduced | 1949, USAF |
| Retired | 1994, Bolivia |
| Primary users | United States Air Force Royal Air Force Pakistan Air Force Portuguese Air Force |
| Number built | 9,860 |
| Unit cost | US$219,457 (F-86E)[1] US$343,839 (F-86D) |
| Developed from | FJ-1 Fury Messerschmitt Me 262[2][3] |
| Variants | Canadair Sabre North American YF-93 CAC Sabre FJ Fury |
The North American F-86 Sabre (sometimes called the Sabrejet) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. A canonical example of post-war fighter design, the Sabre is best known for its Korean War role where it was pitted against the Soviet MiG-15 and obtained UN air superiority. Although developed in the late 1940s and outdated by the end of the 50's, the Sabre proved adaptable and continued as a front-line fighter in air forces until the last active front line examples were retired by the Bolivian Air Force in 1994.
Its success led to an extended production run that saw over 7,800 aircraft produced between 1946 and 1956, in the United States as well as Japan and Italy. The upgraded Canadair Sabre added another 1,815 airframes, while the CAC CA-27 Avon Sabre saw a production run of 112. Total production of all variants was 9,860, making it by far the most-produced Western jet fighter.
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Initial proposals to meet a USAAF requirement for a single-seat high-altitude day fighter aircraft/escort fighter/fighter bomber were made in late 1944, and were derived from the design of the straight wing FJ Fury being developed for the U.S. Navy.[4] Performance requirements were met by incorporating a 35 degree swept-back wing with automatic slats (Messerschmitt Me 262 airfoil and Me 262 HG II wing sweep)[2][3] into the design. Manufacturing was not begun until after World War II as a result. The XP-86 prototype, which would become the F-86 Sabre, first flew on 1 October 1947[5] from Muroc Dry Lake, California.[6]
The USAF Strategic Air Command had F-86 Sabres in service from 1949 through 1950. The F-86s were assigned to the 22nd Bomb Wing, the 1st Fighter Wing and the 1st Fighter Interceptor Wing.[7]
The F-86 was produced as both a fighter-interceptor and fighter-bomber. Several variants were introduced over its production life, with improvements and different armament implemented (see below). The XP-86 (eXperimental Pursuit) was fitted with a J35-C-3 jet engine that produced 4,000 lbf (18 kN) of thrust. This engine was built by GM's Chevrolet division until production was turned over to Allison.[8] The J47-GE-7 engine was used in the F-86A-1 producing a thrust of 5,200 lbf (23 kN) while the General Electric J73-GE-3 engine of the F-86H produced 9,250 lbf of thrust.[9] The F-86 was the primary U.S. air combat fighter during the Korean War, with significant numbers of the first three production models seeing combat.
The fighter-bomber version (F-86H) could carry up to 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of bombs, including an external fuel-type tank that could carry napalm.[10]
Both the interceptor and fighter versions carried six Browning M3 .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber machine guns in the nose (later versions of the F-86H carried four 20 mm cannons instead of machine guns). Guns were harmonized to converge at 1,000 ft (300 m) in front of the aircraft with one tracer bullet for every five rounds. Most rounds used during the Korean War were API (armor-piercing incendiary) bullets containing magnesium, which were designed to ignite upon impact but performed poorly above 35,000 ft (11,000 m) as the oxygen levels are insufficient to sustain combustion at that height. Initially fitted with the Mark 18 manual-ranging computing gun sight, later models used A-1CM radar ranging gunsight which used radar to compute the range of a target. This would later to prove a significant advantage against MiG opponents over Korea, and fitted to later supersonic fighters such as the F-100 and F-105.citation needed
Unguided 2.75 inch (70 mm) rockets were used on some of the fighters in target practice, but 5 inch (127 mm) rockets were later used in combat operations. The F-86 could also be fitted with a pair of external jettisonable fuel tanks (four on the F-86F beginning in 1953) that extended the range of the aircraft.
The F-86 Sabre was also license produced by Canadair Limited in Montreal as the Canadair Sabre. The final variant of the Canadian Sabres, the Mk 6, is generally rated as being one of the most capable of all Sabre variants built anywhere.[11] The last Sabre to be manufactured by Canadair Ltd. (Sabre #1815) now resides at the Western Canada Aviation Museum (WCAM)'s permanent collection in Winnipeg, Canada after being donated by the Pakistan Air Force.[12]
The F-86A set its first official world speed record of 570 mph (920 km/h) in September 1948.[13]
Several people involved with the development of the F-86, including the chief aerodynamicist for the project and one of its other test pilots, claimed that North American test pilot George Welch dived the XP-86 through the sound barrier while on a test flight 26 April 1948.[14] (Chuck Yeager went supersonic in 1947 in the rocket powered Bell X-1, the first aircraft to sustain supersonic speeds in level flight, making it the first "true" supersonic aircraft.)[15]
On 18 May 1953, Jacqueline Cochran flying a Canadian-built F-86E alongside Chuck Yeager, became the first woman to break the sound barrier.[1]
On 18 November 1952, F-86D-20-NA (SNc.51-2945) set a speed record of 698.505 mph (1,124.135 km/h). Captain J. Slade Nash flew over a three km course at the Salton Sea in California at a height of only 125 ft (38 m). Another F-86D broke this world record on 16 July 1953, when Lt. Col. William Barnes flying the first F-86D-35-NA (51-6145) in the same path of the previous flight, achieved 715.697 mph (1,151.803 km/h).
The F-86 entered service with the United States Air Force in 1949, joining the 1st Fighter Wing's 94th Fighter Squadron "Hat-in-the-Ring" and became the primary air-to-air jet fighter used in the Korean War. With the introduction of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 into air combat in November 1950, which out-performed all aircraft then assigned to the United Nations, three squadrons of F-86s were rushed to the Far East in December.[16] The F-86 could out-turn and out-dive the MiG-15, but the MiG-15 was superior to the F-86 in ceiling, acceleration, rate of climb, and zoom (especially until the introduction of the F-86F in 1953); MiGs flown from bases in Manchuria by Chinese, Korean, and Soviet VVS pilots, were pitted against two squadrons of the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing forward-based at K-14, Kimpo, Korea.[16]
Many of the American pilots were experienced World War II veterans while the North Koreans and the Chinese lacked combat experience, thus accounting for much of the F-86's success.[17] However, whatever the actual results may be, it is clear that the F-86 pilots did not have as much success over the better trained Soviet piloted MiG-15s. Although Soviets piloted the majority of MiG-15s that fought in Korea, North Korean and Chinese pilots increased their activity as the war went on.[18][19] The Soviets and their allies periodically contested air superiority in MiG Alley, an area near the mouth of the Yalu River (the boundary between Korea and China) over which the most intense air-to-air combat took place. The F-86E's all-moving tailplane has been credited with giving the Sabre an important advantage over the MiG-15. Far greater emphasis has been given to the training, aggressiveness and experience of the F-86 pilots.[17] Despite rules-of-engagement to the contrary, F-86 units frequently initiated combat over MiG bases in the Manchurian "sanctuary."[18]
The needs of combat operation balanced against the need to maintain an adequate force structure in Western Europe led to the conversion of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing from the F-80 to the F-86 in December 1951. Two fighter-bomber wings, the 8th and 18th, converted to the F-86F in the spring of 1953.[20] No. 2 Squadron, South African Air Force also distinguished itself flying F-86s in Korea as part of the 18 FBW.[21]
By the end of hostilities, F-86 pilots were credited with shooting down 792 MiGs for a loss of only 78 Sabres, a victory ratio of 10 to 1.[22] Postwar totals officially credited by the USAF are 379 kills for 103 Sabres lost,[23] amounting to a ratio of nearly 4 to 1. Modern research by Dorr, Lake and Thompson has claimed the actual ratio is closer to 2 to 1.[24]
The Soviet claims of downing over 600 Sabres[25] together with the Chinese claims[26] are considered exaggerated by the USAF.citation needed. Recent USAF records show that 224 F-86s were lost to all causes, including non-combat losses. But direct comparison of Sabre and MiG losses seem irrelevant, since primary targets for MiGs were heavy B-29 bombers and ground-attack aircraft, while the primary targets for Sabres were MiG-15s.
Of the 40 American pilots who earned the designation of ace during the Korean war, all but one flew the F-86 Sabre. (The other was a Navy F4U Corsair night fighter pilot.)
The Republic of China Air Force of Taiwan was one of the first recipients of surplus USAF Sabres. From December 1954 to June 1956, the ROC Air Force received 160 ex-USAF F-86F-1-NA through F-86F-30-NA fighters. By June 1958, the Nationalist Chinese had built up an impressive fighter force, with 320 F-86Fs and seven RF-86Fs having been delivered.citation needed
Sabres and MiGs were shortly to battle each other in the skies of Asia once again in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. In August 1958, the Chinese Communists of the People's Republic of China attempted to force the Nationalists off of the islands of Quemoy and Matsu by shelling and blockade. Nationalist F-86Fs flying CAP over the islands found themselves confronted by Communist MiG-15s and MiG-17s, and there were numerous dogfights.
During these battles, the Nationalist Sabres introduced a new element into aerial warfare — under a secret effort designated Operation Black Magic, the US Navy had provided the ROC with the AIM-9 Sidewinder, its first infrared-homing air-to-air missile, which was just entering service with the United States. A small team from VMF-323, a Marine FJ-4 Fury squadron with later assistance from China Lake and North American initially modified 20 of the F-86 Sabres to carry a pair of Sidewinders on underwing launch rails and instructed the ROC pilots in their use flying profiles with USAF F-100s simulating the MiG-17. The MiGs enjoyed an altitude advantage over the Sabres as they had in Korea and Communist Chinese MiGs routinely cruised over the Nationalist Sabres, only engaging when they had a favorable position. The Sidewinder took away that advantage and proved to be devastatingly effective against the MiGs.[27]
The combat introduction of the Sidewinder took place in a battle on 24 September 1958 when ROC Sabres succeeded in destroying 10 MiGs and scoring two probables without loss to themselves.citation needed In one month of air battles over Quemoy and Matsu, Nationalist pilots tallied a score of no less than 29 MiGs destroyed and eight probables, against a loss of two F-84Gs and no Sabres.citation needed
In 1958–60, Avon Sabres completed numerous ground attack sorties against communist insurgents, during the Malayan Emergency, with No. 3 Squadron RAAF and No. 77 Squadron RAAF in Malaya. They remained in Malaysia following the Emergency, at RAAF Butterworth. From August 1964 onwards these aircraft responded several times to incursions by Indonesian MIG-21 fighter jets. However, the Indonesian aircraft always turned back before crossing the international boundary.
In 1962, a detachment of eight CA-27s, which was later expanded and designated No. 79 Squadron RAAF, was sent from Butterworth to RAAF Ubon, Ubon, Thailand, to assist the Thai and Laotian governments in actions against communist insurgents. During the Vietnam War, 79 Sqn performed air defence for the USAF attack aircraft and bombers based at Ubon.[28] The squadron never engaged North Vietnamese aircraft or ground forces and was withdrawn in 1968.
The F-86 entered service with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in 1954 with the first batch of 120 aircraft. Most of the aircraft were of the F-86F-40 configuration except for a few F-86F-35s. The F-86 was operated by nine PAF squadrons at various times. During the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965 the F-86 became the mainstay of the PAF and provided a qualitative edge against a larger Indian Air Force (IAF).[29]
In the air-to-air combat of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the PAF Sabres claimed to have shot down 15 IAF aircraft, comprising of nine Hunters, four Vampires and two Gnats.[30] India however, admitted a loss of 14 combat aircraft to the PAF's F-86s.[31] The F-86s of the PAF had the advantage of being armed with AIM-9B/GAR-8 Sidewinder missiles whereas none of its Indian adversaries had this capability. Despite this, the IAF claimed to have shot down 13 PAF Sabres in air-to-air combat.[32] This claim is disputed by the PAF who admit to having lost 13 F-86s Sabres during the whole 23 days but only seven of them during air-to-air battles.[30]
The PAF Sabres performed well in ground attack with claims of destroying around 36 aircraft on the ground at Indian airfields at Halwara, Kalaikunda, Baghdogra, Srinagar and Pathankot.[30][33][34][35] India only acknowledges 22 aircraft lost on the ground to strikes partly attributed to the PAF's F-86s and its bomber B-57 Canberra.[31]
Pakistani F-86s were also used against advancing columns of the Indian army when No. 19 Squadron Sabres engaged the Indian Army using five inch (127 mm) rockets along with their six Browning M3 .50 in (12.7 mm) caliber machine guns. According to Pakistan reports, Indian armor bore the brunt of this particular attack at Wagah.[36] The Number 14 PAF Squadron earned the nickname "Tailchoppers" in PAF for their F-86 operations and actions during the 1965 war.[37]
During the war, United States barred the sales of the F-86 to Pakistan. Nonetheless, Pakistan maintained its F-86 fleet through sales of around 90 Iranian Sabres and Sabre Mk 6 CL-13s (Canadian-made F-86 Sabres) which formed the backbone of the operations during the Bangladesh Liberation War, 1971. Despite its formidable performance, the F-86 proved vulnerable to the diminutive Folland Gnat, which proved to be fast, nimble and hard to see. The IAF Gnats, given the nickname "Sabre Slayer," claimed to have downed seven PAF Sabres.[32][38][30]
Pakistan Air Force F-86 Flying Ace Sqn Ldr Muhammad Mahmood Alam, officially credited with five kills in air-to-air combat,[39] three of them in less than a minute.[40]
The Canadair Sabres (Mark 6) acquired from ex-Luftwaffe stocks via Iran, were the mainstay of the PAF's day fighter operations during the Bangladesh Liberation War 1971, and had the challenge of dealing with the threat from IAF.citation needed Despite having acquired newer fighter types such as the Mirage III and the Shenyang F-6, the Sabre Mark 6 (widely regarded as the best "dog-fighter" of its era[41]) along with the older PAF F-86Fs, were tasked with the majority of operations during the war, due to the small numbers of the Mirages and combat unreadiness of the Shenyang F-6.[12] In East Pakistan only one PAF F-86 squadron (14th Squadron) was deployed to face the formidable IAF Soviet MiG-21s and the Sukhoi SU-7 and the numerical superiority of the IAF. At the beginning of the war, PAF had eight squadrons of F-86 Sabres.[42]
Despite these challenges, the PAF F-86s performed well with Pakistani claims of downing 31 Indian aircraft in air-to-air combat including 17 Hawker Hunters, eight Sukhoi SU 7 "Fitters", one MiG 21s and three Gnats[43] while losing seven F-86s.[44] India however claims to have shot down 11 PAF Sabres for the loss of 11 combat aircraft to the PAF F-86s.[45] The IAF numerical superiority overwhelmed the sole East Pakistan Sabres squadron (and other military aircraft)[46][47] which were either shot down, or grounded by Pakistani Fratricide as they could not hold out, enabling complete Air superiority for the Indian Air Force.[48]
In the Battle of Boyra, the first notable air engagement over East Pakistan, India claimed four Gnats downed three Sabres while Pakistan acknowledges only two Sabres were lost while one Gnat was shot down.[12]. As per official Pakistan accounts, 24 Sabres were lost in the war: 13 due to enemy action and 11 disabled by PAF forces to keep them out of enemy hands,[44] while 28 Sabres were lost per Indian accounts: 17 due to IAF action and 11 disabled by the PAF on the ground to keep them out of enemy hands.[49]. Five of these Sabres, however, were recovered in working condition and flown again by the Bangladesh Air Force.[49][50][51]
After this war, Pakistan slowly phased out its F-86 Sabres and replaced them with Chinese F-6 (Russian MiG-19 based) fighters. The last of the Sabres were withdrawn from service in PAF in 1980.[12] F-86 Sabres nevertheless remain a legend in Pakistan and are seen as a symbol of pride.citation needed They are now displayed in Pakistan Air Force Museum and in the cities to which their pilots lived.
Two types based on the US F-86F were built under licence by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) in Australia, for the Royal Australian Air Force. as the CA-26 (one prototype) and CA-27 (production variant).
The CAC Sabres included a 60% fuselage redesign, to accommodate the Rolls-Royce Avon Mk 26 engine, which had roughly 50% more thrust than the J47, as well as 30 mm Aden cannons and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. As a consequence of its powerplant, the Australian-built Sabres are commonly referred to as the Avon Sabre. CAC manufactured 112 of these aircraft.
CA-27 marques:
The RAAF operated the CA-27 from 1956 to 1971.[53] Ex-RAAF Avon Sabres were operated by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) between 1969 and 1972. From 1973 to 1975, 23 Avon Sabres were donated to the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU); five of these were ex-Malaysian aircraft.
The F-86 was also manufactured by Canadair in Canada as the CL-13 Sabre to replace its de Havilland Vampires, with the following production models:
| F-86A | F-86D | F-86E | F-86F | F-86H | F-86K | F-86L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program R&D cost | 4,707,802 | ||||||
| Airframe | 101,528 | 191,313 | 145,326 | 140,082 | 316,360 | 334,633 | |
| Engine | 52,971 | 75,036 | 39,990 | 44,664 | 214,612 | 71,474 | |
| Electronics | 7,576 | 7,058 | 6,358 | 5,649 | 6,831 | 10,354 | |
| Armament | 16,333 | 69,986 | 23,645 | 17,669 | 27,573 | 20,135 | |
| Ordnance | 419 | 4,138 | 3,047 | 17,117 | 4,761 | ||
| Flyaway cost | 178,408 | 343,839 | 219,457 | 211,111 | 582,493 | 441,357 | 343,839 |
| Maintenance cost per flying hour | 135 | 451 | 187 |
Note: The costs are in approximately 1950 United States dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation.[1]
Australia: Royal Australian Air Force[55]
Bangladesh:
Burma Burma Air Force (now Myanmar Air Force)
Canada: Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
Indonesia: Indonesian Air Force (Tenara Nasional Indonesia-Angkatan Udara)
Netherlands: Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke Luchtmacht) (KLu)
Several Sabres are still owned by private owners (most notably actor Michael Dorn[63]), including a handful that still fly at air shows and aviation events.
Data from The North American Sabre[64]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Various bombs (2 x 1,000 lb, 450 kg bombs, standard load) e.g napalm canisters, air-to-ground rockets. Four pylons presents, but only two dedicated to ordnances, while the other two were for auxiliary tanks, total load up to 2,400 kg (900 kg bombs and 1,500 l fuel), included a nuclear tactical weapon.
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
