The Air Force's first sweptwing jet fighter, the F-86 was flown by 20 other countries. In spring 1948, the prototype become the first US fighter to go faster than the speed of sound when it exceeded Mach 1 in a shallow dive. On September 15, 1948, Maj. Richard L. Johnson recaptured the world speed record for the US, flying an F-86 over a three-km course at Muroc AFB, Calif., at 670.981 mph. In the Korean War, Sabre pilots shot down 792 Soviet-built MiG-15s at a loss of only 76 F-86s, a victory ratio of 10 to one. On December 17, 1950, Lt. Col. Bruce Hinton won the first combat between sweptwing fighters when he shot down a MiG-15. On July 27, 1953, Capt. Ralph S. Parr, while flying an F-86, recorded the last aerial victory in the Korean War when he shot down an Il-2. Air Force requirements for Korea precipitated the need for a second Sabre line, which was opened in Columbus, Ohio. The F-86D was designed as an all-weather interceptor and featured a redesigned nose to carry the radar. Pilots referred to this version as a "Sabre Dog." The F-86D was also the first Air Force fighter to have an all- rocket armament and the first all-weather interceptor to have only one person operating the radar fire-control system and flying the aircraft. It was one of the first airplanes to succeed itself in setting new world speed records, with pilots reaching 698.505 mph on November 19, 1952, and 715.697 mph on July 16, 1953. Lt. Col. William Barnes, the pilot on the latter flight, was also the first person to pass the 700 mph barrier. The F-86 was the mount for all 36 allied jet aces during the Korean War. F-86s were built under license in Canada, Japan, Australia, and Italy. More F-86Ds were produced than any other model: 2,504. The last F-86L (a modified D) left Air Defense Command service in June 1960, and the type served with the Air National Guard until mid-1965. Some aircraft (mostly foreign-built) were modified into remotely controlled full-scale targets and were used primarily by the Navy into the 1980s.
| Contractors: | North American Aviation, Inc. |
| Locations Built: | Inglewood, Calif., and Columbus, Ohio |
| Number Built: (USAF) | 6,353 (5,893) |
| First Flight: | October 1, 1947 |
| First Flight Model: | XP-86 |
| First Flight Location: | Muroc AAF, Calif. |
| First Flight Pilot: | George S. "Wheaties" Welch |
| Models/Variants: | F-86A, D, E, F, H, L. RF-86A, F |
| Powerplant: | One General Electric J47-GE-27 turbojet of 5,970 lb thrust |
| Wingspan: | 37 ft 1 in. |
| Length: | 37 ft 6 in. |
| Height: | 14 ft 8 in. |
| Weight: | 17,000 lb gross |
| Armament: | Six .50-cal. machine guns and 2,000 lb of bombs or 16 5-in. rockets |
| Accommodation: | Pilot only |
| Cost: | $211,111 |
| Max. Speed: | 690 mph |
| Range: | Approx 1,200 mi with external tanks |
| Ceiling: | 50,000 ft. |
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