Difference between revisions of "F-86F-25"
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− | {{Specs-Card|code=f-86f-25}} | + | {{About |
+ | |about= American jet fighter '''{{PAGENAME}}''' | ||
+ | |usage= other variants | ||
+ | |link= F-86 (Family) | ||
+ | }} | ||
+ | {{Specs-Card | ||
+ | |code=f-86f-25 | ||
+ | |images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}} | ||
+ | |cockpit=cockpit_f-86f-25.jpg | ||
+ | }} | ||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
− | ''In the description, the first part | + | <!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' --> |
+ | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} American jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.35]]. | ||
== General info == | == General info == | ||
− | === Flight | + | === Flight performance === |
− | ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. | + | {{Specs-Avia-Flight}} |
+ | <!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' --> | ||
+ | |||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%" | ||
+ | ! rowspan="2" | Characteristics | ||
+ | ! colspan="2" | Max Speed<br>(km/h at 0 m - sea level) | ||
+ | ! rowspan="2" | Max altitude<br>(metres) | ||
+ | ! colspan="2" | Turn time<br>(seconds) | ||
+ | ! colspan="2" | Rate of climb<br>(metres/second) | ||
+ | ! rowspan="2" | Take-off run<br>(metres) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! Stock | ||
+ | | 1,095 || 1,089 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 24.7 || 25.9 || 38.8 || 35.9 || rowspan="2" | 750 | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! Upgraded | ||
+ | | 1,115 || 1,106 || 23.6 || 24.0 || 56.5 || 46.7 | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Details ==== | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%" | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan="6" | Features | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || X <!-- ✓ --> | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%" | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan="7" | Limits | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h) | ||
+ | ! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h) | ||
+ | ! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h) | ||
+ | ! colspan="2" | Max Static G | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! - | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 1,170 <!-- {{Specs|destruction|body}} --> || {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || 590 || 550 || 350 || ~11 || ~6 | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | < 850 || < 600 || < 650 || N/A | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Engine performance ==== | ||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan="3" | Engine | ||
+ | ! colspan="4" | Aircraft mass | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number | ||
+ | ! colspan="2" | Empty mass || colspan="2" | Wing loading (full fuel) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | colspan="2" | General Electric J47-GE-27 || 1 | ||
+ | | colspan="2" | 5,430 kg || colspan="2" | 239 kg/m<sup>2</sup> | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics | ||
+ | ! colspan="3" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | Max Takeoff<br />Weight | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type | ||
+ | ! 7m fuel || 20m fuel || 26m fuel | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 1,150 kg || colspan="2" | Axial-flow turbojet | ||
+ | | 5,787 kg || 6,429 kg || 6,726 kg || 9,530 kg | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}} | ||
+ | ! colspan="4" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! Condition || 100% || WEP | ||
+ | ! 7m fuel || 20m fuel || 26m fuel || MTOW | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | ''Stationary'' || 2,626 kgf || N/A | ||
+ | | 0.45 || 0.41 || 0.39 || 0.28 | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | ''Optimal'' || 2,626 kgf<br />(0 km/h) || N/A | ||
+ | | 0.45 || 0.41 || 0.39 || 0.28 | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |} | ||
=== Survivability and armour === | === Survivability and armour === | ||
− | ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured. Describe the armour, if there is any, also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' | + | {{Specs-Avia-Armour}} |
+ | <!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' --> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * 6.35 mm steel - in front of cockpit | ||
+ | * 12.7 mm steel - behind pilot | ||
+ | * 38 mm steel - armoured windscreen | ||
+ | * 20 mm steel pilot's headrest | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Modifications and economy === | ||
+ | {{Specs-Economy}} | ||
− | == | + | == Armaments == |
− | === Offensive | + | {{Specs-Avia-Armaments}} |
− | ''Describe the offensive | + | === Offensive armament === |
+ | {{Specs-Avia-Offensive}} | ||
+ | <!-- ''Describe the offensive armament of the aircraft, if any. Describe how effective the cannons and machine guns are in a battle, and also what belts or drums are better to use. If there is no offensive weaponry, delete this subsection.'' --> | ||
+ | {{main|M3 Browning (12.7 mm)}} | ||
− | + | The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with: | |
− | '' | ||
− | + | * 6 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 1,800 total) | |
− | |||
− | == Usage in | + | === Suspended armament === |
− | ''Describe the tactics of playing in | + | {{Specs-Avia-Suspended}} |
+ | <!-- ''Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.'' --> | ||
+ | {{main|M117 cone 45 (750 lb)|AN-M65A1 Fin M129 (1,000 lb)|HVAR}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance: | ||
+ | |||
+ | * Without load | ||
+ | * 16 x HVAR rockets | ||
+ | * 2 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (1,500 lb total) | ||
+ | * 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs (2,000 lb total) | ||
+ | |||
+ | == Usage in battles == | ||
+ | <!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' --> | ||
+ | [[File:F-86 vs MiG-15.jpg|thumb|Climbfighting with a [[MiG-15 (Family)|MiG-15]]]] | ||
+ | The F-86 F-25 differs greatly from its A-5 predecessor as it no longer has leading edge slats on the wings which increase low speed manoeuvrability. This was removed from the F model Sabres as North American Aviation (the maker of the Sabre) saw that low speed dogfights were a rare occasion (although a slatted wing made a comeback in the -40 block). A more powerful engine was also installed inside the F-86 giving it a better rate of climb, acceleration and top speed. In the F model the biggest difference between was the addition of the "all flying tail" which allowed for high speed manoeuvring. Where the Sabre excels is in high-speed manoeuvring. Its main opponent—the MiG-15bis—doesn't have an 'all flying tail,' so its control surfaces lock up at speeds exceeding 800 km/h (500 mph). Inexperienced pilots new to the aircraft must be careful of the Sabre's manoeuvrability, as it's quite easy to pull too many Gs and tear off the wings. Once the new engine is installed, the Sabre gets a much-improved rate of climb. Although not quite capable of out-climbing the MiG-15bis, the Sabre can handily out-climb (and out-dive) the MiG-15. | ||
+ | |||
+ | === Radars === | ||
+ | <!--{{main|AN/APG-30}}--> | ||
+ | The F-86F-25 is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft. | ||
+ | It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range. | ||
+ | |||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
+ | ! colspan="4" | AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! {{Annotation|Maximum<br/>Tracking<br/>Range|The maximum range at which a target can be tracked}} | ||
+ | ! {{Annotation|Minimum<br/>Tracking<br/>Range|The range below which targets cannot be tracked by the radar}} | ||
+ | ! {{Annotation|Azimuth Tracking<br/>Angle|How far to each side the radar can track a target}} | ||
+ | ! {{Annotation|Elevation Tracking<br/>Angle|How far up and down the radar can track a target}} | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 2,750 m || 300 m || ±9° || ±9° | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |} | ||
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
− | '' | + | <!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' --> |
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
− | * | + | |
+ | * Excellent roll rate | ||
+ | * Good performance below 8 km altitude | ||
+ | * Nose-mounted weaponry | ||
+ | * Good Boom and Zoom ability | ||
+ | * Very good diving acceleration | ||
+ | * Effective airbrake | ||
+ | * Very good manoeuvrability at high speeds and in horizontal turns | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
− | |||
− | == | + | * M3 Browning machine guns have low damage output |
− | ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too | + | * Poor climb rate in a sustained climb |
+ | * Poor manoeuvrability at low speeds and in vertical turns | ||
+ | |||
+ | == History == | ||
+ | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | ||
+ | In order to improve the overall flight performance and air-to-ground ability of the current F-86F Sabre fighter, the North American Aviation company decided to start a new fighter program on October 26th, 1951, code name NA-191. The first improvement was adding a pair of additional pylons under the wings, so that the new Sabre fighter could carry two 120 gal external drop tanks and bombs at the same time. | ||
+ | |||
+ | On the other hand, because of the introduction of the fully irreversible hydraulic powered flying tail unit design on the standard production model of F-86D Sabre Dog interceptor and F-86E Sabre fighter, it was found that in high-angles of attack condition, unexplained vortices were observed on the leading edge which neatly and repeatedly peeled off and swept back over the outboard section of the wing. As angle of attack increased, the span station where the vortex peeled off moved inboard. Further investigation showed that the sharper the leading edge radius, the more pronounced this effect became. Although surface tufts suggested the wing was stalled, the wing tunnel force balance measurements showed that lift continuing to increase. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Based on the previous research data collected from the wind-tunnel test, the engineers of North American Aviation Company decided to introduce a new wing design on the new F-86F Sabre fighter to solve these problems. One of the basic improvements was removing the original leading-edge slats and extending the wing root length by 6 inches, and the wing tip length was increased by 3 inches, these technical improvements increase the taper ratio of the wings which could also help to improve the rate of climb of the Sabre fighter. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The new wing design was called 6-3 wing. Because the wing area was increased, the engineer decided to add 130 gal fuel to increase the combat range of the Sabre fighter, also they added two wing fences to solve the problem of increasing the loss rate of span-wise airflow. According to the final test report, the new 6-3 wing design doubled the combat manoeuvrability by adding at least one and half g to the already good manoeuvrability of the F-86 at 35,000 feet, and both the boundary at which buffeting became noticeable and the maximum manoeuvring limit were improved by this amount. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The final flight test report of the new 6-3 wing design was finished in August, 1952, which confirmed that the maximum level flight speed of the new F-86F Sabre fighter with 6-3 wing design was increased to 608 mph compared to 604 mph of the original version without 6-3 wing design, the minimum stall speed was increased from 128 mph to 144 mph. | ||
+ | |||
+ | On August 5th, 1952, the US Air Force officially placed a production order for 907 mass-produced NA-191 aircraft to North American Aviation company's Inglewood Factory in California, then they decided to introduce new design to the production order for 341 NA-171 aircraft (it was called F-86F-20) of the Oregon Factory which was renamed NA-193 aircraft, and the number of this order also increased by 259. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The military designation of the NA-191 program was F-86F-30 while the NA-193's military designation was F-86F-25, the only difference between them is the production factory. Started in the 171st F-86F-25 Sabre fighter (series number 51-13341) and the 200th F-86F-30 Sabre fighters (series number 52-4505), the new 6-3 wing design was introduced into the production line. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In October 1952, the first production model of the F-86F-30 Sabre fighter came off the production line of the Inglewood Factory, and these aircraft were rapidly transported to South Korea to equip those American fighter wings, while the first production model of the F-86F-25 Sabre fighter came off the production line of the Oregon Factory on January 1953. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The fighter wings in Europe started to equip new F-86F Sabre fighters in April 1953, the first combat unit in Europe to receive new Sabre fighters was 86th FBW which replaced the F-84 Thunderjet fighters, while the 36th and 406th FBW started to equip new F-86F Sabre fighters in August 1953 which replaced the F-84 Thunderjet fighters too. | ||
+ | |||
+ | In January 1953, 18th FBW in South Korea replace their F-51D Mustang fighter to the new F-86F-30 fighter while the 8th FBW in South Korea also replace their F-80C Shooting Star to the new F-86F-30 fighter in April 1953 too. Except the production model, North American Aviation company also produced many modification kits for the old version of F-86F Sabre fighters, and the first fifty 6-3 wing modification kits were quickly retrofit to those old version of F-86F Sabre fighters which was flew by Aces in South Korea even before the production model of new Sabre fighter was delivered. In the second half of 1953, all F-86F fighters in Korea were equipped with new 6-3 wing. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The F-86F-35 was a version based on the previous F-25/F-30 Sabre fighter, but equip with a M1 Low-altitude-bombing-system (LABS) for nuclear weapon delivery missions. It can carry one MK12 nuclear bomb on the inner pylon under the left wing. The first F-86F-35 was delivered to the USAF on October, 1952, they were assigned to 48th and 388th FBW in Europe. | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
− | '' | + | <!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' --> |
+ | |||
+ | ;Skins | ||
+ | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=f-86f-25 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] | ||
− | == | + | == See also == |
− | ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example | + | <!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' |
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;'' | * ''reference to the series of the aircraft;'' | ||
− | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | + | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' --> |
− | |||
− | == | + | ;Related development |
− | ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | + | * [[F-86 (Family)]] |
+ | * [[F-100 (Family)]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | ;Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era | ||
+ | * Dassault [[Super Mystere B2|Super Mystère]] | ||
+ | * Grumman [[F9F-8|F-9]] Cougar | ||
+ | * Hawker [[Hunter (Family)|Hunter]] | ||
+ | * Lavochkin [[La-15]] | ||
+ | * Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-15]] | ||
+ | * Mikoyan-Gurevich [[MiG-17]] | ||
+ | * Saab [[J29D|J29]] Tunnan | ||
+ | |||
+ | == External links == | ||
+ | <!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | ||
* ''topic on the official game forum;'' | * ''topic on the official game forum;'' | ||
− | * '' | + | * ''other literature.'' --> |
− | + | ||
− | * | + | * [https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/272057-north-american-f-86f-25/ Official data sheet - more details about the performance] |
+ | |||
+ | {{AirManufacturer NAA}} | ||
+ | {{USA jet aircraft}} |
Latest revision as of 15:19, 17 January 2023
This page is about the American jet fighter F-86F-25. For other variants, see F-86 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The F-86F-25 Sabre is a rank V American jet fighter with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB), 8.3 (RB), and 8.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.35.
General info
Flight performance
Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
Stock | 1,095 | 1,089 | 14700 | 24.7 | 25.9 | 38.8 | 35.9 | 750 |
Upgraded | 1,115 | 1,106 | 23.6 | 24.0 | 56.5 | 46.7 |
Details
Features | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
Limits | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
1,170 | 350 | 590 | 550 | 350 | ~11 | ~6 |
Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
< 850 | < 600 | < 650 | N/A |
Engine performance
Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Engine name | Number | Empty mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
General Electric J47-GE-27 | 1 | 5,430 kg | 239 kg/m2 | |||
Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Takeoff Weight | ||||
Weight (each) | Type | 7m fuel | 20m fuel | 26m fuel | ||
1,150 kg | Axial-flow turbojet | 5,787 kg | 6,429 kg | 6,726 kg | 9,530 kg | |
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (100%) | |||||
Condition | 100% | WEP | 7m fuel | 20m fuel | 26m fuel | MTOW |
Stationary | 2,626 kgf | N/A | 0.45 | 0.41 | 0.39 | 0.28 |
Optimal | 2,626 kgf (0 km/h) |
N/A | 0.45 | 0.41 | 0.39 | 0.28 |
Survivability and armour
- 6.35 mm steel - in front of cockpit
- 12.7 mm steel - behind pilot
- 38 mm steel - armoured windscreen
- 20 mm steel pilot's headrest
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Offensive armament
The F-86F-25 is armed with:
- 6 x 12.7 mm M3 Browning machine guns, nose-mounted (300 rpg = 1,800 total)
Suspended armament
The F-86F-25 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 16 x HVAR rockets
- 2 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (1,500 lb total)
- 2 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 Fin M129 bombs (2,000 lb total)
Usage in battles
The F-86 F-25 differs greatly from its A-5 predecessor as it no longer has leading edge slats on the wings which increase low speed manoeuvrability. This was removed from the F model Sabres as North American Aviation (the maker of the Sabre) saw that low speed dogfights were a rare occasion (although a slatted wing made a comeback in the -40 block). A more powerful engine was also installed inside the F-86 giving it a better rate of climb, acceleration and top speed. In the F model the biggest difference between was the addition of the "all flying tail" which allowed for high speed manoeuvring. Where the Sabre excels is in high-speed manoeuvring. Its main opponent—the MiG-15bis—doesn't have an 'all flying tail,' so its control surfaces lock up at speeds exceeding 800 km/h (500 mph). Inexperienced pilots new to the aircraft must be careful of the Sabre's manoeuvrability, as it's quite easy to pull too many Gs and tear off the wings. Once the new engine is installed, the Sabre gets a much-improved rate of climb. Although not quite capable of out-climbing the MiG-15bis, the Sabre can handily out-climb (and out-dive) the MiG-15.
Radars
The F-86F-25 is equipped with an AN/APG-30 rangefinding radar, located in the nose of the aircraft. It will automatically detect other planes within the scanning area and display the range to the closest target. It is linked with a gyro gunsight and can help with aiming at close range.
AN/APG-30 - Rangefinding radar | |||
---|---|---|---|
Maximum Tracking Range |
Minimum Tracking Range |
Azimuth Tracking Angle |
Elevation Tracking Angle |
2,750 m | 300 m | ±9° | ±9° |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent roll rate
- Good performance below 8 km altitude
- Nose-mounted weaponry
- Good Boom and Zoom ability
- Very good diving acceleration
- Effective airbrake
- Very good manoeuvrability at high speeds and in horizontal turns
Cons:
- M3 Browning machine guns have low damage output
- Poor climb rate in a sustained climb
- Poor manoeuvrability at low speeds and in vertical turns
History
In order to improve the overall flight performance and air-to-ground ability of the current F-86F Sabre fighter, the North American Aviation company decided to start a new fighter program on October 26th, 1951, code name NA-191. The first improvement was adding a pair of additional pylons under the wings, so that the new Sabre fighter could carry two 120 gal external drop tanks and bombs at the same time.
On the other hand, because of the introduction of the fully irreversible hydraulic powered flying tail unit design on the standard production model of F-86D Sabre Dog interceptor and F-86E Sabre fighter, it was found that in high-angles of attack condition, unexplained vortices were observed on the leading edge which neatly and repeatedly peeled off and swept back over the outboard section of the wing. As angle of attack increased, the span station where the vortex peeled off moved inboard. Further investigation showed that the sharper the leading edge radius, the more pronounced this effect became. Although surface tufts suggested the wing was stalled, the wing tunnel force balance measurements showed that lift continuing to increase.
Based on the previous research data collected from the wind-tunnel test, the engineers of North American Aviation Company decided to introduce a new wing design on the new F-86F Sabre fighter to solve these problems. One of the basic improvements was removing the original leading-edge slats and extending the wing root length by 6 inches, and the wing tip length was increased by 3 inches, these technical improvements increase the taper ratio of the wings which could also help to improve the rate of climb of the Sabre fighter.
The new wing design was called 6-3 wing. Because the wing area was increased, the engineer decided to add 130 gal fuel to increase the combat range of the Sabre fighter, also they added two wing fences to solve the problem of increasing the loss rate of span-wise airflow. According to the final test report, the new 6-3 wing design doubled the combat manoeuvrability by adding at least one and half g to the already good manoeuvrability of the F-86 at 35,000 feet, and both the boundary at which buffeting became noticeable and the maximum manoeuvring limit were improved by this amount.
The final flight test report of the new 6-3 wing design was finished in August, 1952, which confirmed that the maximum level flight speed of the new F-86F Sabre fighter with 6-3 wing design was increased to 608 mph compared to 604 mph of the original version without 6-3 wing design, the minimum stall speed was increased from 128 mph to 144 mph.
On August 5th, 1952, the US Air Force officially placed a production order for 907 mass-produced NA-191 aircraft to North American Aviation company's Inglewood Factory in California, then they decided to introduce new design to the production order for 341 NA-171 aircraft (it was called F-86F-20) of the Oregon Factory which was renamed NA-193 aircraft, and the number of this order also increased by 259.
The military designation of the NA-191 program was F-86F-30 while the NA-193's military designation was F-86F-25, the only difference between them is the production factory. Started in the 171st F-86F-25 Sabre fighter (series number 51-13341) and the 200th F-86F-30 Sabre fighters (series number 52-4505), the new 6-3 wing design was introduced into the production line.
In October 1952, the first production model of the F-86F-30 Sabre fighter came off the production line of the Inglewood Factory, and these aircraft were rapidly transported to South Korea to equip those American fighter wings, while the first production model of the F-86F-25 Sabre fighter came off the production line of the Oregon Factory on January 1953.
The fighter wings in Europe started to equip new F-86F Sabre fighters in April 1953, the first combat unit in Europe to receive new Sabre fighters was 86th FBW which replaced the F-84 Thunderjet fighters, while the 36th and 406th FBW started to equip new F-86F Sabre fighters in August 1953 which replaced the F-84 Thunderjet fighters too.
In January 1953, 18th FBW in South Korea replace their F-51D Mustang fighter to the new F-86F-30 fighter while the 8th FBW in South Korea also replace their F-80C Shooting Star to the new F-86F-30 fighter in April 1953 too. Except the production model, North American Aviation company also produced many modification kits for the old version of F-86F Sabre fighters, and the first fifty 6-3 wing modification kits were quickly retrofit to those old version of F-86F Sabre fighters which was flew by Aces in South Korea even before the production model of new Sabre fighter was delivered. In the second half of 1953, all F-86F fighters in Korea were equipped with new 6-3 wing.
The F-86F-35 was a version based on the previous F-25/F-30 Sabre fighter, but equip with a M1 Low-altitude-bombing-system (LABS) for nuclear weapon delivery missions. It can carry one MK12 nuclear bomb on the inner pylon under the left wing. The first F-86F-35 was delivered to the USAF on October, 1952, they were assigned to 48th and 388th FBW in Europe.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Dassault Super Mystère
- Grumman F-9 Cougar
- Hawker Hunter
- Lavochkin La-15
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
- Saab J29 Tunnan
External links
North American Aviation | |
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Fighters | |
P-51A | P-51 · P-51A |
P-51C | P-51C-10 |
P-51D | P-51D-5 · P-51D-10 · P-51D-20-NA · P-51D-30 |
P-51H | P-51H-5-NA |
Twin-engine fighters | F-82E |
Jet fighters | F-86A-5 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-35 · F-100D |
Strike aircraft | A-36 · PBJ-1H · PBJ-1J |
FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 | |
Bombers | B-25J-1 · B-25J-20 |
Export/Licence | ▂B-25J-30 · ␗B-25J-30 |
▄Mustang Mk IA · F-6C-10-NA · ␗P-51C-11-NT · ␗P-51D-20 · J26 David · J26 · P-51D-20-NA · ␗P-51K | |
F-86F-30 ▅ · ␗F-86F-30 · F-86F-40 ▅ · F-86F-40 JASDF▅ · ␗F-86F-40 | |
◄F-86K · ▄F-86K (Italy) · ▄F-86K (France) | |
␗F-100A · ▄F-100D · ␗F-100F | |
Captured | ▅P-51C-11-NT |
Canadair Limited license-built the F-86 as the CL-13 for use in Canada and export to Europe. | |
Fiat license-built the F-86K for the Italian Air Force though another 120 NAA built F-86Ks were also sold to the Italians. | |
See Also | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · Canadair Limited · Fiat Aviation |
USA jet aircraft | |
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Fighters | |
F9F | F9F-2 · F9F-5 · F9F-8 |
F-80 | F-80A-5 · F-80C-10 |
F-84 | F-84B-26 · F-84F · F-84G-21-RE |
F-86 | F-86A-5 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-35 |
F-89 | F-89B · F-89D |
F-100 | F-100D |
F-104 | F-104A · F-104C |
F-4 | F-4C Phantom II · F-4E Phantom II · F-4J Phantom II · F-4S Phantom II |
F-5 | F-5A · F-5C · F-5E · F-20A |
F-8 | F8U-2 · F-8E |
F-14 | F-14A Early · ▄F-14A IRIAF · F-14B |
F-15 | F-15A · F-15C MSIP II · F-15E |
F-16 | F-16A · F-16A ADF · F-16C |
Other | P-59A · F2H-2 · F3D-1 · F3H-2 · F4D-1 · F11F-1 |
Strike Aircraft | |
FJ-4 | FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 |
A-4 | A-4B · A-4E Early |
A-7 | A-7D · A-7E · A-7K |
AV-8 | AV-8A · AV-8C · AV-8B Plus · AV-8B (NA) |
A-10 | A-10A · A-10A Late · A-10C |
F-111 | F-111A · F-111F |
Other | A-6E TRAM · F-105D · F-117 |
Bombers | |
B-57 | B-57A · B-57B |