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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 0238.PDF
148 FLIGHT, 8 February 195J THE SABRE UNSHEATHED A Topical Note on the North American F-86 : Sabres for the R.A.F. ? WHEN Russian-built Mig-15s put in their first speedyappearance over the Korean battlefront last yearthey constituted an immediate threat to United Nations air superiority. Fortunately this problem was soon resolved by the counter-appearance, last December, of North American F-86A Sabres and their ensuing successes against the Communist jet fighters. In this local conflict there are broader implications. Russia is now known to have at least one fighter capable of out- pacing all but one of the aircraft-types in squadron-service with the Western Union and Atlantic Treaty Powers. The exception is the Sabre. Judging by all available reports from Korea, it is the only allied fighter that can catch the Mig in level flight, whatever may be the merits, as high-altitude intercepters, escorts or ground-attack aircraft, of other types. In these circumstances, widespread interest is being manifested in the performance of the Sabre and the majority of Western nations would welcome the opportunity to strengthen their defences with this outstanding aircraft. 'The following digest of such information as may be pub- lished should satisfy the natural demand for details. Initial design-work had begun when the decision was made (after study of late-wartime German aerodynamic development) to replace the Sabre's original straight wings by the present type with 35-deg sweep-back. The prototype XF-86, powered by an Allison J-35 turbojet, made its first flight on October 1st, 1947, and the F-86A production version (with General Electric J-47 of 5,200 lb thrust) first flew on May 20th, 1948. Four months later Maj. R. L. Johnson set up the present world's speed record of 671 m.p.h. in a fully armed F-86A. According to the most recent announcements, 554 F-86s have been delivered to, or are on order for, the U.S.A.F., although contracts have probably been increased since the Korean crisis. With the exception of those in Korea, all the U.S.A.F.'s Sabres are in service with day-fighter squadrons defending the United States. Design of the F-86A is straightforward. The J-47 turbojet is mounted in the fuselage aft of the wings; the rear fuselage and tail unit are quickly detachable to facilitate servicing. Straight-through delivery is provided from a nose-intake, which is lipped above to maintain airflow in a nose-up attitude (the Sabre lands and takes off at a nose-high angle of 25 deg). A thin, laminar-flow wing section is employed. Wing construction is all-metal, and special milling machines are used by North American to produce the tapered aluminium skins. Automatic slats are carried by the leading edge to maintain airflow at low speeds, in combination with slotted flaps. Two door-type dive-brakes open forward from the fuselage sides. The tail unit, like the wings, is of all-metal construction and all surfaces are swept back 35 deg. The pilot's pressurized cockpit is provided with heating and refrigeration, according to conditions, and an ejector seat. The canopy, of curved glass, has the conventional bubble profile. Armament of the Sabre is not heavy: it con- sists of six 0.5-in guns mounted in the nose. For ground- attack duties, the aircraft tan carry two 1,000-lb bombs or sixteen 5-in rockets. The external tanks, which would appear to contain abaut 200 gallons each, are carried under the wings outboard of the main undercarriage legs; they may be retained for combat. Larger tanks may be fitted for ferry-ing, giving a range of 2,350 miles. „; Continuous development generally follows the introduc- f tion of a good military aircraft, and here the Sabre is no € exception. Three separate variants have stemmed from the "'" F-86A, which has now been replaced on the assembly lines by the F-86E. This resembles the "A" externally, but incorporates an improved system of pilot's control. In the f F-86E, the variable-incidence tailplane has been linked to the elevators to increase control-effectiveness under heavy load- ing at high speeds. The aileron and elevator controls arc "*- completely powered—the pilot no longer supplying any of \ the force to move them—and the F-86E system incorporates v, "artificial feel" to give an idea of control reactions. This synthetic sense increases when longitudinal control is effected by excessive loads on the tail, providing "irreversible" elevator control. \ Also in production now is the F-86D, a radar-equipped \. all-weather version of the Sabre. On this type the "lip" 7 over the intake characterizing the F-86A and E has been . extended into a " nose " housing airborne-interception radar, ' and the intake itself has taken on an elliptical shape. In - addition, the F-86D has acquired an afterburner for increased rate of climb. This attachment, it has been esti- * mated, increases the thrust of the J-47 to 7,000 lb on take-off ': when used with a fixed-area tailpipe nozzle, as incorporated in the prototype F-86D. A third modification is the use of a thinner tailplane-section. The fourth Sabre variant, designated YF-93A, has a British-designed power-unit—the Pratt and Whitney J-48 Turbo-Wasp (Rolls-Royce Tay). This turbojet is rated at 6,250 lb thrust, increased on the F-93A by the use of a Solar afterburner. Of the quartet, this version has potentially the ~ highest performance. The F-93 is easily distinguished by ' its rounded nose and N.A.C.A. flush air-intakes in the r fuselage-sides. It also displays a new type of undercarriage ' with dual main wheels. Both the F-86D and F-93A gain in performance by virtue jof increased thrust, but their handling characteristics at alti- •" tude may be impaired by increased all-up weight for the •'same wing-area. According to a report from America last week, the United *. States Navy has ordered the Sabre. The Naval version, to t be known as the F2J, will be an F-86D with folding wings ~ and provision for catapulting and landing-on. North "; American's first jet aircraft, incidentally, was the FJ-1 Fury, - built to Naval specification. Production of the Sabre is now i 'undertaken at Los Angeles and a new line is expected to be set up shortly at Columbus, Ohio, in the factory formerly operated by Curtiss-Wright. In addition, the Sabre is being
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