North American F-86D Sabre


The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre is an American transonic jet interceptor. While the original North American F-86 Sabre was conceived as a day fighter, the F-86D was specifically developed as an all-weather interceptor for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s. Originally designated as the YF-95 during development and testing, it was re-designated the F-86D before production began, despite only sharing 25% commonality of parts with the original F-86. Production models of the F-86D/K/L differed from other Sabres in that they had a larger fuselage, a larger afterburning engine, and a distinctive nose radome. The most-produced Sabre Dog variants also mounted no guns, unlike the Sabre with its six M3 Browning.50 caliber machine guns, instead mounting unguided Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket “Mighty Mouse” rockets. The "K" and "L" Sabre Dog variants mounted four 20mm M24A1 cannon.

Design and development

The YF-95 was a development of the F-86 Sabre, the first aircraft designed around the new "Mighty Mouse" Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket. Begun in March 1949, the unarmed prototype, 50-577, first flew on 22 December 1949, piloted by North American test pilot George Welch and was the first U.S. Air Force night fighter design with only a single crewman and a single engine, a J47-GE-17 with afterburner rated at static thrust. Gun armament was eliminated in favor of a retractable under-fuselage tray carrying 24 unguided Mk. 4 rockets, then considered a more effective weapon against enemy bombers than automatic cannon fire. A second prototype, 50-578, was also built, but the YF-95 nomenclature was short-lived as the design was subsequently redesignated YF-86D.
The fuselage was wider and the airframe length increased to, with a clamshell canopy, enlarged tail surfaces and AN/APG-36 all-weather radar fitted in a radome in the nose, above the intake. Later models of the F-86D received an uprated J-47-GE-33 engine rated at . A total of 2,504 D-models were built.

Operational history

On 18 November 1952, F-86D 51-2945 set a speed record of. Captain J. Slade Nash flew over a three km course at the Salton Sea in southern California at a height of only. Another F-86D broke this world record on 16 July 1953, when Lieutenant Colonel William F. Barns, flying F-86D 51-6145 in the same path of the previous flight, achieved.

Variants

;YF-95A: prototype all-weather interceptor; two built; designation changed to YF-86D
;YF-86D : originally designated YF-95A.
;F-86D : Production interceptor originally designated F-95A, 2,504 built.
;F-86G : Provisional designation for F-86D variant with uprated engine and equipment changes, 406 built as F-86Ds.
;YF-86K : Basic version of F-86D intended for export with rocket tray replaced by four 20 mm cannon and simplified fire control system, two conversions.
;F-86K : NATO version of F-86D; MG-4 fire control system; four 20 mm M24A1 cannon with 132 rounds per gun; APG-37 radar. 120 were built by North American, 221 were assembled by Fiat.
;F-86L : Upgrade conversion of F-86D with new electronics, extended wingtips and wing leading edges, revised cockpit layout, and uprated engine; 981 converted.
;B.Kh.17A: Royal Thai Air Force designation for the F-86L.

Operators