North American NA-140 / F-86 Sabre / F-95 Dog Sabre
Canadair CL-13

To meet a US Army Air Force requirement for a day fighter that could be used also as an escort fighter or dive-bomber, North American submitted a design known as the NA-140.

Two XP-86 prototypes of the NA-140 design were contracted in late 1944, but when German research data on the characteristics of swept wings became available soon after the end of the war, North American sought USAAF agreement to redesign the XP-86 to incorporate swept wings and tail surfaces. This cost a year's delay, and it was not until 1 October 1947 that the first prototype was flown with flying surfaces swept at 35 degrees, then powered by a Chevrolet-built General Electric TG-180 (or J35-C-3) turbojet of 1701kg thrust; on 25 April 1948, by then re-engined with a General Electric J47 turbojet as the YP-86A, this aircraft exceeded a speed of Mach 1 in a shallow dive.

The first production version was the P-86A, powered initially by a 2200kg thrust General Electric J47-GE-1 turbojet and flown first on 20 May 1948. A month later USAF redesignation resulted in the P-86A becoming the F-86A and in 1949, by which time it had gained the name Sabre. The new fighter began to enter service with the USAF's 1st, 4th and 81st Fighter Groups, the 94th Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group receiving the first in February 1949.

F-86A production totalled 554, the majority having 2359kg thrust J47-GE-3, -7, -9, or -13 turbo-jets.

Just six months after it was assigned to duty, the F-86 set a world speed record of 670.9 mph. Later the Sabre beat its own record, upping the bar to 715 mph.

The F-86B (deeper fuselage and larger tyres) and F-86C (redesigned fuselage) did not enter production. The F-86C developed into the YF-93A.

The most extensively built was the F-86D (2,054), a redesigned all-weather/night fighter with a nose radome for all-weather fighter duties and rocket armament instead of machine-guns. The F-95 designation was assigned initially to the radar-equipped, all-weather interceptor version of the North American F-86 Sabre. The first two YF-95A airframes (50-577/ 578) were hastily assembled in 1949 with the nose configuration but not the radar of production aircraft. The two YF-95As also lacked the missile armament and afterburner of the production machine, being equipped instead with an extremely crude external reheat device at the exhaust for the 2460kg thrust General Electric J47-GE-17 turbojet engine. By the time the first of these machines had been completed and made its first flight on 22 December 1949 with company test pilot Joseph Lynch at the controls, it had been redesignated F-86D.

Subsequent production included the 1950 F-86E (NA-170, -172) with an all-moving tailplane and power-boost controls, and the F-86F (1,539) with a new wing and J47-GE-27 engine. 336 F-86E were built, plus 60 built by Canadair as Sabre Mk.III/IV.

TF-86F 52-5016

Production from North American-built kits of components began in Japan, with Mitsubishi leading a group of Japanese companies which first assembled, then increasingly constructed, a total of 300 similar to the F-86F and RF-86F.

In 1952 North American installed a 6000lb Avro-Canada Orenda in one F-86A-5 pulled from their own production line as an experimental prototype F-86J (NA-167). Canadian-built production with the 6000 lb Avro-Canada Orenda were designated Canadair CL-13. 60 planes for USAF were refitted with GE J47 and re-designated F-86E.

Canadair built 60 F-86Es for the USAF, followed by 290 generally similar Sabre Mk 2 fighters, comprising 230 for the RCAF and 60 for the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. Canadian production continued with one Sabre Mk 3 to flight test the indigenous Orenda engine, 438 Sabre Mk 4 for the RAF with General Electric engines, 370 Sabre Mk 5 aircraft with the 2883kg thrust Orenda 10 turbojet, and 655 Sabre Mk 6 aircraft with the 3300kg thrust Orenda 14.

With the selection in 1948 by the RCAF of the F-86A Sabre as its next-generation fighter it was envisaged from the outset that the indigenous Orenda engine would replace the J47. In the event, this intention was to be frustrated by delays in power plant availability, and it was not until 30 July 1953 that a pre-series aircraft was flown with the Canadian engine as the CL-13A Sabre 5. Almost three years prior to this event, North American had re-engined an F-86A-5 with an Orenda 3 as the F-86A/O, this having flown in October 1950, and the 100th F-86E licence-built airframe completed by Canadair had been similarly powered as the CL- 13 Sabre 3 (alias F-86J) and flown on 4 June 1952. Powered by a 6,355 lb st (2 883 kgp) Avro Orenda 10 turbojet, the Sabre 5 retained the armament of six 05-in (12,7-mm) machine guns and had the slatless extended wing leading edge introduced by the F-86F. A total of 370 Sabre 5s was built, of which 75 were presented to the Federal German Luftwaffe, before production deliveries commenced of what was to prove the definitive Canadair-built model, the CL-13B Sabre 6 first flown on 2 November 1954. This differed essentially from the Sabre 5 in having the two-stage Orenda 14 of 7,275 lb st (3 300 kgp) and initial aircraft had a similar wing to that of the Sabre 5, but later Sabre 6s reinstated wing slats. Of the 655 Sabre 6s built, six were supplied to Colombia, 34 to South Africa and 225 to Federal Germany. The CL-13C was a Sabre 5 with an area ruled fuselage and the CL-13E was a Sabre 6 fitted with an afterburner.

The Sabre 6 served the RCAF from 1950-68. The Sabre 6 with its extra power and slatted wings served in many air forces around the world into the 1970's, though it stood down in Canada in 1968.

The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in Australia also became involved in Sabre production, modifying the airframe for two 30mm Adens and the 3402kg thrust Rolls-Royce Avon 26 engine, and built for the RAAF 21 Sabre Mk 30 and 20 Sabre Mk 31 aircraft, plus 69 Sabre Mk32 fighters with Australian-built engines.

More than 9,000 Sabres were built; 1,815 of them in Canada.

This fighter was the prime contender against the North Korean MiG-15, typically flown by Russian and Chinese pilots. The tally at the end of the war was telling, both about American technology and pilot skills. By the end of hostilities, it had shot down 729 MiGs, loosing only 76 Sabres—a victory ration of 10:1. During the Korean War, approximately 22 Canadian pilots were attached to the USAF (United States Air Force) and flew Sabres in combat.

The Royal Thai Air Force received 45 F-86F-30/40 Sabres. Designated ‘Fighter Type 17’, they served from 1961 to 1973.

A radical development of the F-86 Sabre was the FJ Fury naval fighter. 

Gallery

F-86A Sabre
Engine: 1 x General Electric J47-GE-3, -7, -9, or -13
Span: 37ft 1in
Length: 37ft 6in
Height: 14ft 9in
Empty Weight: 10,854lbs
Max Take-off Weight: 15,800lbs
Max Speed: 679mph at sea level
Cruising Speed: 533mph
Service Ceiling: 48,000ft
Range: 660miles
Time to 40,000ft: 10.4 mins
Fuel Capacity is 436 gallons internal - external two 100 gallon drop tanks

F-86A/O
An F-86A-5 re-engined to serve as the prototype of the Canadair CL-13 Sabre

F-86D
Engine: 1 x General Electric J47-GE-17B, 33.34kN / 5,400 lb
Max take-off weight: 7756 kg / 17099 lb
Empty weight: 5656 kg / 12469 lb
Wingspan: 11.30 m / 37 ft 1 in
Length: 12.29 m / 40 ft 4 in
Height: 4.57 m / 14 ft 12 in
Wing area: 27.76 sq.m / 298.81 sq ft
Max. speed: 1138 km/h / 707 mph
Ceiling: 16640 m / 54600 ft
Range: 1344 km / 835 miles
Armament: 24 x 69.9mm missiles
Crew: 1

F-86K
Max speed at sea level, 692 mph (1114km/h)
Max speed at 40,000 ft (12 190 m), 612 mph (985 km/h)
Initial climb, 12.000 ft/min (60,96 m/sec)
Range (with two 120-US gal/454-lt drop tanks), 744 mls (1197 km)
Empty weight. 13,367 lb (6063 kg)
Loaded weight (clean), 18,379 lb (8337kg)
Span, 37 ft 1.5  in (11,31 m)
Length. 40 ft 11 1/8 in(12,47 m)
Height, 15 ft0 in (4.57 m)
Wing area. 287.9 sq ft (26,7 5 sq.m)

Canadair F-86 Sabre 6
Engine: Avro Canada Orenda 14 turbojet, 7275 lb
Dimensions as for F-86A
Wing Span: 37 ft 11.5 in
Empty weight; 10,618 lb / 4816 kg
Loaded weight (clean): 14,613 lb / 6628 kg
MTOW: 17,560 lb / 7965 kg
Engine: Orenenda 14, 7275 lb / 3300 kg
Max speed at sea level, 710 mph (1143 km/h)
Max speed at 36,000 ft (10 975 m) 620 mph (998 km/h)
Range: 363 miles / 584 km
Ferry range: 1486 miles / 2391 km
Service ceiling: 54,700 ft / 16,460 m
Initial climb, 11,800 ft/ min (59,94m/sec)
Rate of Climb: 35,000 ft / 10,670m in 4 min 42 sec
Armament: 6 x 0.50in (12.7mm) mg , 1602 rounds total (267 rounds per gun)

North American F-86D / YF-95 Dog Sabre