The North American F-86 Sabre was an American military jet fighter best known for its swept wings and service in the Korean War. The family developed from a day fighter into several specialised configurations, including fighter-bombers. Different versions carried different engines and equipment.[1][2]
Origins
The Sabre first flew in October 1947, and the first production aircraft followed in May 1948. The F-86A combined a swept-wing airframe with a General Electric J47 turbojet and six .50-calibre machine guns. It represented a major advance beyond the first generation of straight-wing American jet fighters.[1]
Combat and international service
F-86A, E and F day fighters served in Korea, where they fought Soviet-designed MiG-15s. Their gun armament required pilots to manoeuvre into a firing position rather than rely on the radar-guided missile engagements associated with later fighters. The Sabre became one of the defining aircraft of the conflict's jet air battles.[1]
The family also acquired a substantial international career. Sabres were manufactured in the United States and Canada, and air forces in twenty other countries used the type. This production and export history extended its importance well beyond the squadrons that fought over Korea.[1]
F-86H fighter-bomber
The F-86H was a larger, heavier fighter-bomber designed with experience from Korea in mind. Its General Electric J73 engine provided considerably more thrust than the earlier Sabre's J47, while its equipment was adapted for the attack mission. More than 450 were built between late 1953 and August 1955.[2]
Although developed from a combat-proven family, the H did not itself fly combat missions for the United States. Its arrival near the introduction of the supersonic F-100 illustrates how quickly fighter technology changed: improvements to a successful subsonic airframe competed with an entirely new performance generation.[2]