The F-86H was the last and most powerful of the Sabre series, representing the developmental limit of this fighter design. It was also the strongest of the F-86s, combining the best features of its predecessors and proved to be a superb fighter-bomber. North American Aviation in Columbus, Ohio (NH) built 473 H-series Sabres.

The F-86H first became operational in the fall of 1954 and five US Air Force Wings flew the type by 1956. Their phase out from the USAF began in 1957, and by year’s end fourteen Air National Guard (ANG) squadrons took on F-86H fighter-bombers. By mid-1958, all F-86Hs were out of the USAF and into the Air National Guard. All Sabre types were phased out of the ANG by late 1970. The US Navy became operators of the F-86H. Some flew briefly in the early 1970s as MiG-17 simulators in the Navy’s “Top Gun” school. The rest were used in the Navy’s drone program as full scale targets.

Combat Air Museum gained Conditional Transfer of 53-1300 through Federal Surplus Property in 1984. The aircraft was transported from Waterloo, Iowa to Topeka, KS via a Kansas Army National Guard CH-54 Tarhe in May 1985. The aircraft will be repainted with markings it carried when it flew with the 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron (the Irish Guard), Massachusetts ANG, at Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts circa 1962.

This aircraft is on Conditional Transfer to Combat Air Museum from the Kansas State Agency for Federal Surplus Property and the General Services Administration

Assignments

3 May 1955 Delivered to USAF from North American Aviation, Columbus, Ohio May 1955 To 359th Combat Crew Training Wing (Air Training Command) Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada January 1957 To Spartan Aircraft Corp., Ontario, California, for contract work December 1957 To 101st Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) Massachusetts Air National Guard (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts June 1958 With 102nd Consolidated Logistics Maintenance Squadron (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts April 1959 To 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts November 1961 To 102nd Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), USAF Europe, Phalsbourg AB, France July 1962 Returned to Boston, Massachusetts August 1962 To 101st TFS (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts April 1963 To 102nd TFG (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts October 1963 To 156th FG (PRANG), San Juan, Puerto Rico April 1964 To Lear Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico, for contract work November 1964 To 156th FG (PRANG), San Juan, Puerto Rico August 1967 To L.S.I. Service Corp., Travis Field, Georgia, for contract work January 1968 To 175th TFG (MDANG), Martin Airport, (Baltimore) Maryland May 1968 To 140th TFW (Tactical Air Command), Martin Airport (Baltimore), Maryland June 1968 Deployed to Cannon AFB, (Clovis) New Mexico December 1968 Returned to Baltimore, Maryland December 1968 To 175th TFW (MDANG), Martin Airport, (Baltimore) Maryland July 1970 Dropped from USAF Inventory ???? – 1985 Hawkeye Institute, Waterloo, Iowa May 1985 Present Combat Air Museum

TECHNICAL NOTES

F-86H-10-NA Manufacturer: North American Basic Role: Single-seat fighter-bomber Crew: One Engines: One 8,920 lb. (39.7kN) static thrust General Electric J73-GE-3 turbojet. Maximum speed: 692 mph (1,114km/hr) Cruising speed: 552 mph (888km/hr) Range (combat radius): 519 miles (835km) Ferry Max Range: 1,810 miles (2,913km) Service Ceiling: 50,800 ft (15,484m) Wingspan: 39 ft 1.4 in (11.9m) Length: 38 ft 10 in (11.8m) Height: 14 ft. 5 in (4.4m) Wing Area: 313.4 sq. ft (29.1 sq. m) Weight (empty): 13,836 lb. (6,276kg) Combat: 24,296 lb. (11,020kg) Armament: Four fixed forward-firing 20mm cannons in the nose.Two 1,000 lb. (454kg) bombs or two 750 lb. (340kg) napalm tanks or eight 5-inch HVAR rockets or one 1,200 lb. (544kg) tactical nuclear weapon Serial number: USAF 53-1300