The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",
) was an American
transonic
Transonic (or transsonic) flow is air flowing around an object at a speed that generates regions of both subsonic and supersonic airflow around that object. The exact range of speeds depends on the object's critical Mach number, but transonic ...
jet
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
. Developed for the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
in the late 1940s, it was an
interceptor
Interceptor may refer to:
Vehicles
* Interceptor aircraft (or simply "interceptor"), a type of point defense fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft
* Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a police car
* ...
derivative of the
North American F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...
. While the original F-86 Sabre was conceived as a
day fighter A day fighter is a fighter aircraft equipped only to fight during the day. More specifically, it refers to a multi-purpose aircraft that does not include equipment for fighting at night (such as a radar and specialized avionics), although it is some ...
, the F-86D was specifically developed as an
all-weather interceptor. Originally designated as the YF-95 during development and testing, it was re-designated the F-86D before production began, despite only sharing 25% commonality of parts with the original F-86. Production models of the F-86D/K/L differed from other Sabres in that they had a larger fuselage, a larger
afterburning
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat ...
engine, and a distinctive nose
radome
A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna (radio), antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and ...
. The most-produced Sabre Dog variants (the "D" and "G" models) also mounted no guns, unlike the Sabre with its six
M3 Browning
The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, wh ...
.50 caliber machine guns, instead mounting air-to-air rockets (the "K" and "L" Sabre Dog variants mounted four 20mm
M24A1 cannon).
Design and development
The YF-95 was a development of the F-86 Sabre, the first aircraft designed around the new "Mighty Mouse"
Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR). Begun in March 1949, the unarmed prototype, ''50-577'', first flew on 22 December 1949, piloted by North American test pilot
George Welch and was the first U.S. Air Force
night fighter design with only a single crewman and a single engine, a J47-GE-17 with afterburner rated at static
thrust
Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that syst ...
. Gun armament was eliminated in favor of a retractable under-fuselage tray carrying 24 unguided Mk. 4 rockets, then considered a more effective weapon against enemy bombers than a barrage of cannon fire. A second prototype, ''50-578'', was also built, but the YF-95 nomenclature was short-lived as the design was subsequently redesignated
YF-86D.
![North American F-86D Sabre Dog rocket tray](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/North_American_F-86D_Sabre_Dog_rocket_tray.jpg)
The fuselage was wider and the airframe length increased to , with a clamshell canopy, enlarged tail surfaces and AN/APG-36 all-weather radar fitted in a radome in the nose, above the intake. Later models of the F-86D received an uprated J-47-GE-33 engine rated at (from the F-86D-45 production blocks onward). A total of 2,504 D-models were built.
Operational history
On 18 November 1952, F-86D ''51-2945'' set a speed record of .
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
J. Slade Nash flew over a three km (1.8 mi.) course at the
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf o ...
in southern California at a height of only . Another F-86D broke this world record on 16 July 1953, when
Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
William F. Barns, flying F-86D ''51-6145'' in the same path of the previous flight, achieved .
Variants
![North American F-86D-1s USAF in flight](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/North_American_F-86D-1s_USAF_in_flight.jpg)
;YF-95A: prototype all-weather interceptor; two built; designation changed to YF-86D (North American model NA-164)
;YF-86D : originally designated YF-95A.
;F-86D : Production interceptor originally designated F-95A, 2,504 built.
;F-86G : Provisional designation for F-86D variant with uprated engine and equipment changes, 406 built as F-86Ds.
;YF-86K : Basic version of F-86D intended for export with
rocket
A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...
tray replaced by four 20 mm cannon and simplified fire control system, two conversions.
;F-86K :
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
version of F-86D; MG-4 fire control system; four 20 mm M24A1 cannon with 132 rounds per gun; APG-37 radar. 120 were built by North American, 221 were assembled by
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
.
;F-86L : Upgrade conversion of F-86D with new electronics, extended wingtips and wing leading edges, revised cockpit layout, and uprated engine; 981 converted.
Operators
: ''Source: Dorr''
[Dorr 1993, pp. 65–96.]
![F86D](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/F86D.JPG)
;
*
Royal Danish Air Force
: Received 59 ex-USAF F-86Ds 1958-1960; assigned to 723, 726 and 728 Squadrons.
;
*
French Air Force
The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...
:
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
built 62 F-86Ks for France (1956-1957), assigned to EC 1/13 "Artois", EC 2/13 "Alpes", and EC 3/13 "Auvergne" Squadrons. Serials were ''55-4814/4844'', ''55-4846/4865'', ''55-4872/4874'', ''55-4876/4879''.
;
*
German Air Force
The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War a ...
: Acquired 88 U.S. F-86Ks 22 July 1957–23 June 1958. The Ks were assigned to
Jagdgeschwader 75/renamed 74.
;
*
Greek Air Force
: Acquired 35 F-86Ds from the US. Were received in 1961 and retired in 1967 but kept as back up until 1969. F-86D was the first all weather fighter in Greek Air Force. F-86Ds were assigned to 337 & 343 Squadrons. Until 1964 they were in natural metal. Until after retirement they were in NATO camo.
;
*
Honduran Air Force
: Acquired Six Venezuelan F-86Ks in 1970.
;
*
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
: Fiat produced 121 F-86Ks for Italy, 1955-1958. Also, 120 U.S. F-86Ks were acquired. F-86s were assigned to the AMI air groups: 6 ''Gruppo'' COT/1 ''Stormo'', 17 ''Gruppo''/1 ''Stormo'', 23 ''Gruppo''/1 ''Stormo'', 21 ''Gruppo''/51 ''Aerobrigata'', 22 ''Gruppo''/51 ''Aerobrigata'' and 12 ''Gruppo''/4 ''Aerobrigata''.
;
*
Japanese Air Self-Defense Force
: Acquired 122 US F-86Ds, 1958–1961; assigned to four all-weather interceptor ''
Hikōtai'', and Air Proving Ground at Gifu.
;
*
Royal Netherlands Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = ''Parade March of the Royal Netherlands Air Force''
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, equipment ...
(''Koninklijke Luchtmacht'') (KLu)
: Acquired 57 U.S.-built and six Fiat-built F-86K Sabres, 1955–1956; and assigned to three squadrons, No. 700, 701 and 702. Operated until 1964.
;
*
Royal Norwegian Air Force
: Acquired 60 U.S.-built F-86K Sabres, 1955–1956, and four Italian-assembled Fiat K-models.
;
*
Philippine Air Force
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forc ...
: Acquired 20 F-86Ds, assigned to 8th Fighter Interceptor Squadron "Vampires" beginning 1960; part of the U.S. military assistance package.
;
*
Republic of Korea Air Force
: Acquired 40 F-86Ds, beginning 20 June 1955.
;
*
Republic of China Air Force
;
*
Royal Thai Air Force
: Acquired 20 F-86Ls.
;
*
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
;
*
Venezuelan Air Force
: Acquired 32 US-built F-86Fs, October 1955–December 1960; 1965 acquired 79 Fiat-built F-86Ks from West Germany.
;
*
SFR Yugoslav Air Force
: Acquired 130 U.S.-made F-86Ds and operated them between 1961 and 1974. 32 of these were modified into a reconnaissance variant utilizing 3 Kodak K-24 cameras mounted in place of the FFAR rockets, the IF-86D.
Surviving aircraft
Specifications (F-86D-40-NA)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Allward, Maurice. ''F-86 Sabre''. London: Ian Allan, 1978. .
* Angelucci, Enzo and Peter Bowers. ''The American Fighter: the Definite Guide to American Fighter Aircraft from 1917 to the Present''. New York: Orion Books, 1987. .
* Curtis, Duncan. ''North American F-86 Sabre''. Ramsbury, UK: Crowood, 2000. .
* Dorr, Robert F. ''F-86 Sabre Jet: History of the Sabre and FJ Fury''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International Publishers, 1993. .
* Käsmann, Ferdinand C.W. ''Die schnellsten Jets der Welt: Weltrekord- Flugzeuge'' (in German). Oberhaching, Germany: Aviatic Verlag-GmbH, 1994. .
* Knaack, Marcelle Size. ''Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems, Volume 1, Post-World War Two Fighters, 1945-1973''. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978. .
* Robinson, Robbie.
NATO F-86D/K Sabre Dogs'. Le Havre'', 2018, 120 p. .
* Swanborough, F. Gordon. ''United States Military Aircraft Since 1909''. London: Putnam, 1963. .
* Wagner, Ray. ''American Combat Planes - Second Edition''. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, 1968. .
* Wagner, Ray. ''The North American Sabre''. London: Macdonald, 1963. No ISBN.
* Westrum, Ron. ''Sidewinder''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1999. .
* Wilson, Stewart. ''Combat Aircraft since 1945''. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2000. .
External links
{{Thai fighter designations
F-086D Sabre
1940s United States fighter aircraft
Single-engined jet aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
F-86D
The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog",) was an American transonic jet fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor ...