North American Aviation

The North American F-86 Sabre, or SabreJet, was the Air Force’s first swept-wing jet fighter plane. The aircraft made its initial flight on October 1, 1947. Originally designed as a high-altitude day-fighter, the Sabre 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 September 15, 1948, an F-86A set a new world speed record of 670.9 mph.