Description

      The F-86 Sabre was a jet fighter developed as a successor to the P-51D Mustang, with
the prototype XP-86 making its maiden flight on October 1, 1947.

      The F-86E was an improved version of the first production F-86A, equipped with the J-47-GE-13 engine, and featured improvements to the control system and movable horizontal stabilizers. However , lessons learned from aerial combat with MiG-15s during the Korean War led to further modifications.

      This is the F-86F, which made its first flight in March 1952. It was powered by a J-47-GE-27 engine with a thrust of 2,760 kg. Its armament included six 12.7 mm machine guns, as well as
the ability to mount various missiles and bombs under the wings. Furthermore, its armor protection was strengthened, and partway through production, the leading-edge slats on the wings were eliminated, the chord was slightly extended, and boundary layer plates were added
to prevent wingtip stall. These were the F-86F-25 and -35.

      As a result, the F-86F gained superior dogfighting capabilities compared to the MiG-15 and achieved great success in the later stages of the Korean War. However, it was later discovered that the extended chord configuration (commonly known as the 6-3 leading-edge wing) combined with leading-edge slats provided superior maneuverability at all speeds, and leading-edge slats were fitted again. This version is known as the F-86F-40.

      The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) primarily adopted the F-86F-40 from 1956 (Showa 31), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries domestically produced this later model with leading-edge slats. However, a small number of aircraft supplied by the U.S. Air Force before that were equipped with the older boundary layer plates, and some were modified by the Japanese side to have leading-edge slats, like the RF-86F . The JASDF had more than 330 F-86F aircraft in total, including those supplied by the U.S. military, those produced under knockdown, and those licensed and produced by Mitsubishi.

Specifications (Mitsubishi F-86F)

• Crew: 1
  
• Wingspan: 11.32m
  
• Length: 11.45m
  
• Height: 4.5m
  
• Gross Weight: 9,219kg
  
• Engine: J-47-GE-27 turbojet (2,681 hp)
  
• Maximum Speed: 1,118 km/h
  
• Armament: 6 x 12.7mm machine guns, 2 x Sidewinder air-to-air missiles,
  or 6 x 0.5-inch air-to-air rockets, or 2 x various bombs