FlyPast Magazine F-86 Sabre Special Issue

While North American Aviation’s F-86 Sabre was a relatively simple machine, powered by an equally unsophisticated jet engine, it embraced a completely new design concept – the swept wing. It first emerged as a rather disappointing naval fighter design with a fat, stubby fuselage, and a conventional straight wing. But when the aircraft was redesigned to incorporate a swept wing, it became a completely different fighting machine, with a top speed and a rate of climb that few aircraft could match.

But even this achievement would not have been enough to ensure the Sabre’s place in history. It was the Korean War that secured the Sabre’s legendary status, providing the United States with a machine that could take on the mighty MiG-15 and win. The Sabre was something special – arguably the first ‘real’ jet fighter.

In this second edition of the Aeroplane Icons series, we take a look at the story of the Sabre, and although space prohibits a thorough examination of every aspect of this aircraft’s very full history, the following pages present a comprehensive celebration of a true legend.