The F-86, the U. S. Air Force's first swept-wing jet fighter, made its initial flight on October 1, 1947.÷ The first production model flew on May 20, 1948, and on September 15, 1948, an F-86A set a new world speed record of 670.9 mph.÷ 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).



As a day fighter, the airplane saw service in Korea in three successive series (F-86A, E, and F) where it engaged the Russian built MiG-15.÷ By the end of hostilities, it 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 U. S. and Canada.÷ The airplane was also used in the air forces of twenty other nations, including West Germany, Japan, Spain, Britain, and Australia.



Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC) had logistics management responsibility for the guns, communications, fire control and bombing-navigational equipment installed on F-86 aircraft.÷ From 1953 to 1958, under Project High Flight, more than 500 F-86s were processed through the WR-ALC maintenance shops to prepare them for ferrying across the Atlantic to U. S. Air Forces in Europe and our NATO allies.



The F-86 on display was last flown by the 175th Tactical Fighter Group of the Maryland Air National Guard.÷ In 1970, it was retired as an instructional aid at Columbus Technical Institute, Columbus, Ohio, before being acquired by the USAF Museum for the Museum of Aviation in 1983.