North American F-86E 'Sabre'
HISTORY

- The F-86 Sabre was developed in response to a 1944 request for a single-seat high-altitude fighter. The chief designer was Edgar Schmued, who had also designed the P-51 Mustang. The F-86 was derived from the design of the straight-wing FJ Fury series of Navy aircraft. Following the end of World War 2, German advances in swept-wing research led to the Sabre receiving a 35-degree swept wing.
- The XP-86 prototype flew on 01 October 1947, and the aircraft entered service with the USAF in 1949 as the F-86A. Several versions were built, with the ultimate day fighter version being the F-86F, of which 2,239 were built. The F-86D was the most-produced version; this model had a large radome in the nose, and a larger fuselage to accommodate an after burning engine. In truth, the F-86D shared only about 25 percent commonality with other F-86 variants.
- The Sabre was the primary U.S. air-to-air fighter during the Korean War. It was closely matched to the Russian-designed MiG-15 being flown by Korean, Chinese, and Soviet pilots over "MiG Alley." The American pilots were better trained than their enemies, resulting in a favorable kill ratio for the F-86. Of the 40 pilots that achieved "ace" status in Korea, all but one flew F-86s.
- Sabres were flown by many nations, including Pakistan, Portugal, the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands. Variants of the F-86 were also built under license in Canada and Australia.
- The Museum's aircraft is an F-86E model, of which 456 were built. It had an improved flight control system for superior combat control as well as improved high-speed maneuverability. It was assigned to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas until it was involved in an incident and scrapped in 1954.
SPECIFICATIONS
Status: Static Display |
Manufacturer: North American Aviation |
Year: 1952 |
Model: F-86E Sabre |
Registration Number:
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Serial Number: |
Crew: 1 |
Max T/O Weight: 16,375 lb. |
Span: 37 ft. 1 in. |
Length: 37 ft. 6 in. |
Height: 14 ft. 8 in. |
Maximum Speed: 675 mph |
Cruise Speed: 550 mph |
Rate of Climb: 10,000 ft/min
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Power Plant: 1 x General Electric J47-GE-13 turbojet, 5,200 lbs. of thrust |
Range: 785 mi |
Service Ceiling: 48,300 ft. |
Armament: 6 ×.50 cal. M3 machine guns, 2 x Sidewinder air to air missiles, 1000 lbs of bomb payload |