North American F-86L Sabre

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 derivative of the North American F-86 Sabre. While the original F-86 Sabre was conceived as a day fighter, 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 engine, and a distinctive nose radome. The most-produced Sabre Dog variants (the "D" and "G" models) also mounted no guns, unlike the Sabre with its six M3 Browning .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. 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.

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 J. Slade Nash flew over a three km (1.8 mi.) course at the Salton Sea in southern California at a height of only . Another F-86D broke this world record on 16 July 1953, when Lieutenant Colonel William F. Barns, flying F-86D ''51-6145'' in the same path of the previous flight, achieved .

Variants

;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 tray replaced by four 20 mm cannon and simplified fire control system, two conversions.
;F-86K : NATO 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.
;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.

;
* Royal Danish Air Force
: Received 59 ex-USAF F-86Ds 1958-1960; assigned to 723, 726 and 728 Squadrons.
;
* French Air Force
: Fiat 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
: 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
: 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 (''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
: 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
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* Royal Thai Air Force
: Acquired 20 F-86Ls.
;
* United States Air Force

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* 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