North American F-86 Sabre

The North American F-86 Sabre was a jet fighter, which was in service with the US Air Force from 1949 to 1965. It was an iconic combat aircraft of the Cold War era, actively taking part in the Korean War. In this armed conflict, it would often engage its Soviet counterpart, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, in dog-fights in the skies over Far East Asia. Total production of all versions of the Sabre exceeded 9,000 aircraft.

The prototype, the XP-86, performed its maiden flight on October 1, 1947. It was flown by test pilot George Welch and it was escorted by a P-82 plane. After several test flights, it was finally introduced into service on March 14, 1949, in the F-86A early version. In December 1950, it would be sent over to Korea, thus becoming the first US swept-wing jet aircraft used in combat missions. At the beginning, it was not a match to the extremely maneuverable MiG-15. However, the F-86A would be upgraded into the F-86E and the F-86F, becoming fit to confront the Soviet fighter.

Technical Characteristics

The North American F-86 Sabre was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane. It featured swept wing, which was mounted low on its all-metal fuselage. Its tailplane was also swept back at the same angle, with the whole surface working as elevator as it was movable. The air intake was located in the nose of aircraft, which was powered by one General Electric J47-GE-13 turbojet engine.

Specifications (F-86E)

Type: fighter aircraft

Dimension:

- length: 11.43 m ( 37 ft, 6 in)

- wingspan: 11.31 m (37 ft, 1 in)

- wing Area: 26.76 square meters (288 sq. ft)

- height: 4.47 m (15 ft, 5 in)

Performance:

- maximum Speed: 1,086 km/h (675 mph) at 762 m (2,500 ft) of altitude.

- range: 1,263 km (785 miles)

- service ceiling: 14,722 m (48,300 ft)

Armament:

- six 12.7mm (.50-calibre) machine guns.

- sixteen 127mm rockets/ or two 454-kg bombs.

Below, the F-86F version in flight in skies over the USA in 1954.

 

The prototype of the F-86, performing test flight number 26, on November 21, 1947.

 

Two F-86E used in Korea in 1952.