F-86 – North American Sabre

“F-86” by Keith Ferris
Printed on canvas, signed by the artist

The North American Sabre was originally conceived as a straight-wing fighter with an estimated top speed of 582 mph. However, the end of World War 2 made available considerable German research on swept wings, and the prototype swept-wing XP-86 flew for the first time October 1, 1947. In early 1948 the prototype, redesignated XF-86, exceeded Mach 1 in a shallow dive, the first U.S. fighter to do so. The outbreak of hostilities in Korea catapulted the Sabre into the headlines. Although the earlier models were outmaneuvered by the MiG-15, the F-86E rebalanced the battle and USA pilots ran up a remarkable victory ratio in Korea. The popular Sabre became a standard fighter in many of the world’s air forces, with production by Fiat in Italy and Canadair in Canada adding to the nearly 7,000 U.S.-built aircraft. Able to accommodate progressive improvements in design and power, the F-86 Sabre remained in service for many years and is remembered as the first modern free world jet fighter.