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Icons of Aviation History: The F-86 Sabre [1]

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Date: 2023-09-19  

Although the F-86 Sabre is most famous for its Korean War service, its history actually dates all the way back to World War II.

“Icons of Aviation History” is a diary series that explores significant and historic aircraft.

F-86 Sabre on exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center

In 1944, the North American Aviation company, makers of the famed P-51 Mustang, realized that if they wanted to keep up with other military aircraft makers, they had to get into the jet fighter game. So they came up with a design for a single-seat jet-powered fighter that could also do duty as a light ground-attack bomber. The Army Air Corps told them to go ahead with two prototypes.

Before the experimental XP-86 prototypes were ready, however, the Second World War ended, and American aircraft designers were able to get a look at some of the data that the Nazis had produced. It demonstrated clearly that jet designs with straight wings were greatly inferior to swept-wings. As a result, North American revamped its entire concept of the XP-86, transforming it into a swept-wing air superiority fighter. It meant an almost complete re-design, and a long delay.

The first prototype finally flew in October 1947. Fitted out with the General Electric J-35 jet engine with 3,750 pounds of thrust, it was later modified to use the more powerful J-45 engine and was re-designated YP-86A. It had impressive speed, and in one unofficial speed run it reportedly proved to be capable of going supersonic in a shallow dive, though it was not classed as a supersonic fighter. The Air Force dubbed it the F-86 Sabre and placed an order. The first combat-ready Sabres began deploying in 1949. Licensed copies of the F-86 were also made in Canada and Australia using native jet engines.

When the Korean War broke out in June 1950, the American F-80 and F-84 jets there found themselves outclassed by the Russian-built North Korean and Chinese MiG-15, and frantic efforts were made to speed up the production of F-86As and to improve the design. The later E models were powered by a GE J47-17B engine that could push it to over 700mph.

The F-86 and the MiG-15 were a pretty even match, with each plane superior in some aspects to the other. The MiG had a higher acceleration and climb rate, and a service ceiling of 45,000 feet—higher than the F-86 could go. The Russian cannons were also a heavier knockout blow than the American .50-caliber machine guns. The Sabre, on the other hand, could out-dive the lighter MiG, and had a tighter turning radius. American pilots also had the advantage of radar-assisted gunsights and of high-G flight suits, which the MiG pilots did not have.

With both planes so evenly matched, then, the real decider in combat was the skill and experience of the pilot, and it was here that the US had a big advantage: the North Korean and Chinese pilots tended to be poorly-trained, and were also hemmed in by their Soviet-style system of heavy ground control over the pilot. Russian pilots who secretly flew the MiG in Korea were usually experienced World War II aces, and they fared much better against the Sabres.

Officially, the USAF claims an 8:1 (some claims go as high as 10:1) kill ratio against the MiGs. Most aviation historians have concluded that, while the Sabre had better pilots and a combat advantage, those claims are probably exaggerated. The Russians, on the other hand, claim a 10:1 kill ratio of their own pilots vs the F-86. That too is probably exaggerated.

As the Korean War ended, the Sabre was being upgraded to the F-86L interceptor, which was equipped with all-weather radar that gave the plane a distinctive “dognose” look. For a time, the F-86L was considered such an improvement over the F-86E that it was briefly given its own designation of “F-95”. It became NATO's frontline interceptor in Europe, intended to defend against Soviet nuclear bombers. NATO also manufactured its own day-fighter version of the Sabre, designated F-86K, in a plant at Turin, Italy.

F-86L on display at Centennial Park in Nashville

In total, the Sabre served with around 25 different countries. Some 10,000 of them were produced, with 6,000 of those in the US. Today, a few dozen are still in flight condition, and most major air museums have an F-86 on exhibit, often paired with its MiG-15 opponent.

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