Video showing North American F-86 Sabre 6 German Air Force Flypast Open Day 6Jun59. North American/Canadair F-86 Sabre 6: In 1944, before German advanced aeronautical research data became available, the USAAF issued specifications drawn up around four different fighter requirements, the first of which was a medium-range day fighter that could also serve in the ground-attack and bomber-escort roles.   This awakened the interest of North American Aviation, the design team of which was then working on the NA-134, a projected carrier-borne jet fighter for the US Navy (which emerged as the FJ-1 Fury).   The NA-134 was of conventional straight-wing design and was well advanced, so North American offered a land-based version to the USAAF under the company designation NA-140.   On 18 May 1945, North American received a contract for the building of three NA-140 prototypes under the USAAF designation XP-86.   A mock-up of the XP-86 was built and, in June 1945, was approved by the USAAF.   At this point, material on German research into high-speed flight, in particular swept-wing designs, became available.   North American obtained a complete Me 262 wing assembly and, after carrying out over 1,000 wind tunnel tests on it, decided that the swept wing was the key to raising the XP-86's performance.   The redesigned XP-86 airframe, featured sweep back on all flying surfaces, was accepted by the USAAF on 1 November 1945 and received final approval on 28 February 1946.   In December 1946 the USAAF placed a contract for an initial batch of 33 P-86A production aircraft, and on 8 August 1947 the first of two flying prototypes was completed, making its first flight under the power of a General Electric J35 turbojet.   The second prototype, designated XF-86A , made its first flight on 18 May 1948, fitted with the more powerful General Electric J-47-E-1 engine; deliveries of production F-86As began 10 days later.   The first operational F-86As were delivered to the 1st Fighter Group early in 1949.   On 4 March 1949, the North American F-86 was officially named the Sabre.   Production of the F-86A ended with the 554th aircraft in December 1950, a date which coincided with the arrival of the first F-86As in Korea with the 4th Fighter Wing.   During the next two and a half years, Sabres were to claim the destruction of 810 enemy aircraft, 792 of them MiG-15s.   The next Sabre variants were the F-86C penetration fighter (redesignated YF-93A and flown only as a prototype) and the F-86D all-weather fighter, which had a complex fire-control system and a ventral rocket pack; 2,201 were built, the F-86L being an updated version.   The F-86E was basically an F-86A with power-operated controls and an all-flying tail; 396 were built before the variant was replaced by the F-86F, the major production version with 2,247 examples delivered.   The F-86H was a specialised fighter-bomber armed with four 20mm cannon and capable of carrying a tactical nuclear weapon; the F-86K was essentially a simplified F-86D; and the designation F-86J was applied to the Canadair-built Sabre Mk 3.   Most Sabres built by Canadair were destined for NATO air forces; the RAF, for example, received 427 Sabre Mk 4s.   The Sabre Mk 6 was the last variant built by Canadair   (This is the variant in the video).   The total number of Sabres built by North America, Fiat and Mitsubishi was 6,208, with a further 1,815 built by Canadair. The RAF version of the Sabre was the F-86 E (US designation) or Mk 4 (Canadian /UK designation) built under licence by Canadair in Montreal, Canada under the US Mutual Defence Aid Programme and remained under American ownership throughout their service with the RAF.   Some 430 aircraft were built for the RAF and were ferried across the Atlantic to the UK under Operation "Beechers Brook" between December 1952 and May 1953.   The flights were undertaken by RAF pilots of No: 1 Overseas Ferry Unit usually in groups of 30 aircraft and covered the 3100 mile to the first UK landfall at RAF Kinloss staging through Goose Bay, Labrador, Greenland and Iceland.   The aircraft were then flown to No 5 Maintenance Unit at RAF Kemble where they were camouflaged before being delivered to units: 370 of them went to RAF Germany and 60 to RAF Fighter Command.   When the Hunter replaced them,they were returned through RAF MUs to the USAF in 1956. North American F-86E: Crew 1; Powerplant: one 5,200lb thrust General Electric J47-GE-13 turbojet engine; Performance: Max speed 675 mph; Range 783 miles; Service ceiling 48,300ft.   Dimensions: wingspan 37ft 1in, length 37ft 1in, height 14ft 8in.   Weight: 14,720lb loaded.   Armament: six 12.7mm Colt-Browning machine guns; up to 2,000lb of underwing stores. (Thanks to "The Encyclopedia of Aircraft" by Robert Jackson and Brian Thornton) There is no sound with this clip.   This clip runs for 7 secs. (Thanks to Wilf Zucht for original film.)