North American F-86D Sabre
| F-86D/K/L Sabre | |
|---|---|
| A USAF North American F-86D | |
| General information | |
| Type | All-weather fighter-interceptor |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Primary users | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 2,847 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1951 |
| First flight | 22 December 1949, 77 years ago |
| Retired |
|
| Developed from | North American F-86 Sabre |
The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog") is an American transonic jet interceptor. While the original North American F-86 Sabre was conceived as a day fighter, the F-86D was specifically developed as an all-weather interceptor for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s. Originally designated as the YF-95 during development and testing, it was re-designated the F-86D before production began, despite only sharing 25% commonality of parts with the original F-86. Production models of the F-86D/K/L differed from other Sabres in that they had a larger fuselage, a larger afterburning engine, and a distinctive nose radome. The most-produced Sabre Dog variants (the "D" and "G" models) also mounted no guns, unlike the Sabre with its six M3 Browning .50 caliber machine guns, instead mounting unguided Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket (FFAR) “Mighty Mouse” rockets. The "K" and "L" Sabre Dog variants mounted four 20mm M24A1 cannon.