Subject: Number Eighty-Six in the Series--North American F-86 Sabre (14 of 23)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 25 Aug 93 16:26:57 GMT

>From [email-masked]

Development of a purely fighter-bomber version of the Sabre was 
initiated by North American Aviation on March 16, 1951 as the NA-187.  
The new design proposed to handle the additional payload by using the 
larger General Electric J73 engine, which offered 8920 pounds of 
thrust.  In order to accommodate the additional power of the engine, 
the air intake had to be increased in area, which was accomplished by 
splitting the fuselage longitudinally and then splicing in an 
additional six inches of depth.  Internal fuel capacity was increased 
from 435 to 562 gallons, and four underwing stations were added for 
bombs or drop tanks.  The horizontal tail surfaces were increased in 
area.  As in the case of the F-86D, the horizontal tail lacked 
dihedral.  An F-86D-like clamshell cockpit canopy was to be fitted in 
place of the rearward-sliding canopy of the F-86F.  

The Air Force initially ordered 150 of these fighter-bombers under the 
designation F-86H, the first two to be built in California and the 
remainder in Columbus.  A contract finalized on November 3, 1952 
increased this order to 175.  It was decided that the 15th F-86H 
should receive the "6-3" wing of the later F-86F.  The first F-86Hs 
were to have six 0.50-inch machine guns, but later production aircraft 
were to be armed with four 20-mm T-160 cannon.  

The first two F-86Hs were built in California.  The first F-86H made 
its maiden flight on April 30, 1953, piloted by Joseph Lynch.  It 
carried no armament, and was fitted with the standard Sabre slatted 
wing.  By the time it was sent to Edwards AFB for tests in October, it 
had the "6-3" wing of the later F-86F.  In December, it returned to 
Edwards with slatted wings.  However, with slatted wings, the top 
speed was three percent lower than the predicted value of 707 mph.  

The first of 112 Columbus-built F-86H-1-NH fighter bombers made its 
maiden flight on September 4, 1953.  It had extended leading edges and 
carried an armament of six 0.50-inch machine guns.  Deliveries did not 
get underway in quantity until Columbus had delivered the last of its 
F-86F-25-NHs, which was in May of 1954.  

The first 60 aircraft on the order had the J73-GE-3, but all the rest 
had the J73-GE-3A.  

Ten F-86Hs had been delivered by the end of June 1954, but operational 
testing was delayed by accidents.  The most notable of these accidents 
was the crash on August 25, 1954 in which Capt Joseph McConnell, the 
leading Korean War ace (16 kills) was killed.  This crash, plus some 
other accidents, caused a delay in the operational testing of the 
F-86H.  It was not until October of 1954 that operational testing of 
the F-86H was resumed.  

The F-86F set a world speed record of 649 mph for a 500-kilometer 
closed circuit, flown by Major John L.  Armstrong.  Another F-86H 
flown by Captain Eugene P.  Sonnenberg set a 100-kilometer closed 
course record of 692.8 mph.  

As compared to the F-86F, the F-86H had a shorter takeoff run, a 
better rate of climb, a higher ceiling, a larger combat radius, and 
better air to ground gunnery characteristics.  All of these features 
made the F-86H a better fighter bomber than the F-86F.  The increased 
power of the J73 engine did provide better acceleration and higher 
cruising speed, but aerodynamic limitations kept the improvement in 
maximum speed from being anything other than marginal, except at 
altitudes above 35,000 feet.  However, the F-86H's higher wing loading 
made it less maneuverable than the F-86F, especially at high 
altitudes.  

The 15th F-86H-1-NH was fitted with the "6-3" wing of the later F-86F, 
with extended wing tips and wing fences.  Wing span was increased from 
37.12 feet to 39.1 feet and wing area rose to 313.4 square feet.  

The F-86H-5-NH, which appeared in January of 1955, introduced an 
armament of four 20-mm M-39 cannon.  The M-39 was formerly known as 
the T-160, which was first tested in Korea.  These guns weighed 286 
pounds more than previous Sabre gun installations, but packed a lot 
more punch.  The last F-86H-5-NH was delivered in February of 1955.  

In the meantime, on June 11, 1953 the USAF approved an additional 
contract (NA-203) for 300 F-86H-10-NHs.  These differed from earlier 
F-86Hs primarily in having different electronic equipment.  The first 
aircraft was delivered in January of 1955, and the last aircraft on 
the order was delivered in April of 1956.  The last ten H-10s used 
wing slats on the extended leading edge, which improved low-speed 
handling.  

Since the airframe of the F-86H limited it to subsonic speed in level 
flight no matter how great the power, the production run of the F-86H 
was relatively short.  473 were built, all but the first two at North 
American's Columbus, Ohio factory.  The first production F-86H was 
delivered to the 312th Fighter Bomber Wing at Clovis AFB in New Mexico 
in the fall of 1954.  At one time, the F-86H equipped five USAF 
fighter-bomber wings.  

The F-86H was equipped with the Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS) and 
could carry a 1200 pound "special store" (a euphemistic term for an 
atomic bomb) under the inboard port wing.  Provisions were also made 
for arming and disarming the "special store" in flight.  

The F-86H served with five wings: the 50th FBW in Europe, and with 
the 83rd, 312th, 413rd, and 474th Wings of the TAC.  The operational 
life of the F-86H was quite brief, as its performance was rapidly 
eclipsed by such types as the F-100 Super Sabre.  By 1957, the F-86H 
was already being phased out of active service with the USAF, and by 
June of 1958 all F-86H aircraft in active USAF use had been passed on 
to the ANG.  At one time or another, the F-86H served with the 
following Air National Guard outfits: 102 Air National Guard Wing 
(101st, 131st, and 138th Squadrons) plus 104, 118, 121, 136, 137, 139, 
142, 167, and 168 Squadrons.  During the 1961 Berlin crisis, the 101st 
and 131st Tactical Fighter Squadrons of the Massachusetts ANG were 
activated and deployed with their F-86Hs to France, where they stayed 
until August of 1962.  

The F-86H remained in service with the ANG until well after the United 
States had committed itself to the Vietnam war.  However, no F-86Hs 
ever went overseas to participate in that conflict.  The last F-86H 
Sabre was phased out of ANG service in September of 1970.  

After withdrawal from ANG service, F-86H aircraft with the lowest air 
time were turned over to the Navy.  The Navy used them both as target 
drones and as MiG simulators for TOP GUN aggressor training.  The 
F-86H had a similar size, shape, and performance as the MiG-17 fighter 
then being encountered over North Vietnam, and many a Navy F-4 pilot 
was "killed" by a F-86H Sabre during these mock battles.  

Many F-86Hs ended their lives as target drones for the testing of 
advanced air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles such as the Phoenix, 
the AMRAAM, and the Standard.  When used in the unmanned target role, 
the aircraft were redesignated QF-86H.  

F-86H-10-NH serial number 53-1352 is on display at the Wright 
Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.  

Serials of the F-86H: 

52-1975/1976 	North American YF-86H-1-NA Sabre 
52-1977/2089 	North American F-86H-1-NA Sabre 
52-2090/2124 	North American YF-86H-5-NA Sabre 
52-5729/5753 	North American F-86H-5-NH Sabre 
53-1229/1528 	North American F-86H-10-NH Sabre 

Specification of the F-86H-10-NH: 

One General Electric J73-GE-3D or -3E, 8920 pounds static thrust.  
Weights were 13,836 pounds empty, 24,296 pounds gross (with two 1000 
pounds and two 200-gallon drop tanks).  Maximum speed (clean) was 692 
mph at sea level and 617 mph at 30,000 feet.  Initial climb rate was 
12,900 feet per minute, and an altitude of 30,000 feet could be 
reached in 5.7 minutes.  Service ceiling was 50,800 feet, and combat 
radius was 519 miles (403 miles with bombs) at 552 mph.  Maximum ferry 
range was 1810 miles.  Dimensions: wingspan 39.12 feet, length 38.84 
feet, height 14.99 feet, wing area 313.4 square feet.  

Sources:

  F-86 Sabre in Action, Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1992.

  The North American Sabre, Ray Wagner, MacDonald, 1963.

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.

  The World Guide to Combat Planes, William Green, MacDonald, 1966.

  The World's Fighting Planes, William Green, Doubleday, 1964.

  Flash of the Sabre, Jack Dean, Wings Vol 22, No 5, 1992.

  F-86 Sabre--History of the Sabre and FJ Fury, Robert F. Dorr, Motorbooks
  International, 1993.

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033