F86

The F-86 Sabre is a transonic jet fighter developed by North American Aviation in the late 1940s. It featured a swept-wing design and was intended to compete with Soviet jet fighters in the early Cold War era. The prototype first flew in 1947 and entered service with the United States Air Force in 1949.

The F-86 was powered by a jet engine (the J47) and armed with six .50-caliber machine guns in the nose. Its swept wing improved high-speed performance and its flight characteristics were refined through testing. It became known for its performance in air-to-air combat during the Korean War, where it engaged MiG-15s in numerous encounters and gained a reputation for dogfighting at altitude.

Beyond the USAF, the Sabre was exported to allied air forces and produced under license by Canada as the CL-13. Main production variants included F-86A, F-86E, and the larger F-86F series; an interceptor variant, the F-86D Sabre Dog, was also developed with rocket- and radar-based systems. Total production approached several thousand airframes.

The F-86's design influenced postwar jet fighters and it remained in service in many air forces for more than a decade, contributing to U.S. and NATO air superiority during the early Cold War period.