Lonnie Ortega Aviation Art

The F-86 Sabre was the Air Force's first swept-wing jet fighter. The aircraft made its initial flight on Oct. 1, 1947. Originally designed as a high-altitude day-fighter, it was subsequently redesigned into an all-weather interceptor (F-86D) and a fighter-bomber (F-86H). The first production model flew on May 20, 1948, and on Sept. 15, 1948, an F-86A set a new world speed record of 670.9 mph. The F-86 was shipped to Japan in December 1950 with the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing, one of the first of the Air Force's Sabre units , and flown in Korea. Most of its combat missions against MiG-15s were flown from Kimpo Air Base near Seoul. As a day fighter, the airplane saw service in Korea in three successive series (F-86A/E/F). By the end of the conflict, F-86 pilots had shot down 792 MiGs at a loss of only 76 Sabres, a victory ratio of 10 to 1. More than 5,500 Sabre day-fighters were built in the United States and Canada. The airplane was also used by the air forces of 20 other nations, including West Germany, Japan, Spain, Britain and Australia.