WarSimBox
North American F-86F Sabre, the in-game model
1952USAFighter

North American F-86F Sabre

The North American F-86 Sabre was America’s first swept-wing jet fighter. In the Korean War it was the United Nations’ only fighter able to match the MiG-15. Its hydraulic controls kept it agile in the roll even at high speed, and its radar-ranging gunsight improved accuracy at long range. It flew in more than 30 countries, Turkey among them.

The swept wing

The F-86 was first being designed with a straight wing. German research captured after the war showed that a swept wing greatly reduced drag near the speed of sound, and the design was redone with a 35-degree swept wing. Later versions got an all-moving tailplane; on the F the wing leading edge was extended, improving its agility at high altitude.

North American F-86F Sabre, side view
North American F-86F Sabre: the in-game model from the side.

MiG Alley

In Korea Sabres fought MiG-15s along the Yalu River. The MiG climbed faster and was better high up; the Sabre was more agile at high speed, had a better gunsight and held together better in a dive. Both sides’ kill claims are still debated, but the training and experience of the Sabre pilots proved decisive.

In the 1950s and 1960s the Sabre was the main fighter of many air forces; the Turkish Air Force flew F-86s too. Pakistani Sabres fought in the 1965 India–Pakistan war.

In WarSimBox

In the game it is the light line’s jet fighter: it flies close to the speed of sound and, thanks to its hydraulic controls, rolls quickly even at high speed. It has six .50 in guns and can carry a drop tank or 2 × 1,000 lb bombs.

Unlocked in the aircraft tree after researching Gloster Meteor F.3 and Swept wing (35°).

Top speed
1,107 km/h · 0 m
Climb
43.7 m/s
Sustained turn
21.4 s
Stall speed
180 km/h

These figures come from the game’s flight model (climb, turn and stall at sea level).

Fly it in WarSimBox