Keith Ferris Originals

Americas first swept-wing fighter was developed using the results of World War II German scientific research.  It first flew on 1 October 1947 and was to become the first U.S. fighter to exceed the speed of sound in a shallow dive.  Available in quantity when North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, the F-86 soon faced the Soviet built MiG-15 in the first swept-wing aerial combat.  F-86s, flown by more experienced U.S. Air Force pilots, were to destroy 796 MiG-15s while losing 78 F-86s in air battles achieving a remarkable 10 to 1 Kill/Loss ratio in the Korean War.

 

Published: Aviation Week & Space Technology Calendar 1977

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