Subject: Number Eighty-Six in the Series--North American F-86 Sabre (11 of 22)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 19 Aug 93 16:34:45 GMT

>From [email-masked]

Which was the better fighter, the Sabre or the MiG?  As in most 
questions of this type, the answer is--it depends! 

Throughout the Korean war, American intelligence on the capabilities 
of the MiG-15 was limited largely to Sabre pilots' fleeting 
impressions of the Russian-built aircraft when they encountered it in 
combat.  These impressions were reinforced by a description of a 
MiG-15 flown to Denmark in March of 1953 by a Polish defector, and 
also by the examination of a wrecked MiG salvaged from 17 feet of 
water off the North Korean coast in July of 1951.  

On September 21, 1953, Lt. Ro of the Korean People's Armed Forces Air 
Corps defected to the South along with his MiG-15bis.  This presented 
the USAF with its first flyable example of its MiG-15 opponent, and 
gave US intelligence the first chance to compare its initial 
impressions with actual flight test data.  The MiG was dismantled and 
flown to Okinawa aboard a C-124 Globemaster.  There, it was 
reassembled and flown by a crew of experienced test pilots including 
Maj. Gen. Albert B. Boyd, Major Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, and 
Capt H. E. Collins.  The MiG was painted with USAF markings, and was 
assigned the fictitious serial number "616", because Capt. Collins 
had used this same number on a plane he had once flown.  The actual 
MiG serial number was 2015357.  This aircraft was later flown to 
Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.  Lt. Ro's MiG-15bis is 
currently on display at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum, 
painted in its original North Korean markings.  

For comparison purposes, the data of the flight test are summarized in 
the following table.  Included for comparison purposes are data for 
the F-86A, the F-86E, the F-86F-10, and the "6-3" wing F-86F-30.  

	    MiG-15bis   F-86A-5      F-86E-10	   F-86F-10     F-86F-30
							       (6-3 wing)

wingspan     33.08       37.12 	      37.12        37.12        37.12 	
 (feet) 

wing area    255         287.9        287.9        287.9        302.26 
 (sq. ft)

length 	     36.27       37.54        37.54        37.54        37.54 	
 (feet)

height	     11.15       14.74        14.74        14.74        14.74 
 (feet)

Wing sweep   42 	 35 	      35           35           35
 (deg)

Engine       Klimov      J47-GE-13    J47-GE-13    J47-GE-27    J47-GE-27
	      VK-1

thrust(lb)   5950	 5200         5200         5910         5910

Initial      10,100      7470         7250         9300         9300
climb rate
(ft/min)

Time to      2.5	 4.0          5.2          5.2          5.0
20,000 ft
(min)

Time to      4.0         8.0           9.2         8.3          8.3
30,000 ft
(min)

Time to      5.5	 18.0         19.3        16.0         16.0
40,000 ft
(min)

Service      51,500      48,000       47,200      48,000       48,000
Ceiling
(ft)

Max speed    668         679          679          688          695
at sea level
(mi/hr)

Max speed    635         635	      642          645          655
at 20,000 ft
(mi/hr) 

Max speed    619	 613          617	   622	        628
at 30,000 ft
(mi/hr)

Max speed    610	 601	      601	   608	        611
at 35,000 ft
(mi/hr)

Max speed    600	 595          596	   603	        606
at 40,000 ft
(mi/hr)

Max speed    575          -            -            -            -
at 47,500 ft
(mi/hr)

Ferry 	     1228       1052          1022         1317         1615
range with
external tanks
(mi)

Takeoff      2500       3660          3870         3925         4720
run to clear
50-foot obstacle
(feet)

Empty        8633	10,093        10,681	   10,840       10,890  
weight (lbs)

Combat	     11,070     13,791        14,255       14,857       14,981
weight (lbs)

Armament     1x37-mm    6x0.50in      6x0.50in     6x0.50in     6x0.50in
             2x23mm

Rate of      450 (37mm)  1100x6       1100x6      1100x6        1100x6
fire (rpm)   650 (23mm)

Ammunition   40 (37mm)   300x6        300x6       300x6         300x6
capacity     160 (23mm)

The test flights confirmed the initial impressions of combat pilots in 
Korea.  The MiG-15 was faster than the F-86A and F-86E at altitudes 
above 30,000 feet, but slower at lower altitudes.  Early F-86Fs were 
superior in speed to the MiG only up to 35,000 feet, whereas the "6-3" 
F-86Fs were faster than their MiG opponents all the way up to the 
Sabre's service ceiling.  

One of the primary advantages of the MiG over the Sabre was its 
4000-foot advantage in service ceiling.  It would often happen that 
F-86s would enter MiG Alley at 40,000 feet, only to find MiGs circling 
10,000 feet above them.  There was nothing that the Sabre pilots could 
do unless the MiGs decided to come down and do battle.  The 
high-flying MiGs could pick the time and place of battle, and their 
higher speed at high altitudes enabled them to break off combat at 
will when things got too tight.  Many a MiG escaped destruction by 
being able to flee across the Yalu where the Sabres were forbidden to 
pursue.  

The Sabre was much heavier than the MiG and had a superior diving 
speed.  Both the MiG and the F-86 could go supersonic in a dive, but 
the Sabre was much more stable than the MiG in the transonic speed 
regime.  One way for a Sabre to shake a MiG sitting on its tail was 
for the F-86 pilot to open his throttle all the way up and go over 
into a dive, pulling its pursuer down to lower altitudes where the 
F-86 had a performance advantage.  Above Mach 0.86, the MiG-15 
suffered from severe directional snaking, which made the aircraft a 
poor gun platform at these high speeds.  Buffeting in the MiG began at 
Mach 0.91, and a nose-up tendency initiated at Mach 0.93.  The 
high-speed stability problems of the MiG-15 were so severe that it was 
not all that uncommon for a MiG to go into the transonic regime during 
an air battle, only to lose its entire vertical tail assembly during 
violent combat maneuvering.  The rate of roll of the MiG was too slow, 
and lateral-directional stability was poor at high altitudes and 
speeds.  

One of the most serious weaknesses of the MiG-15 was its tendency to 
go into uncontrollable spins, especially in the hands of inexperienced 
pilots.  Many Sabre victories in Korea were scored without the F-86 
pilots ever having to fire their guns--they merely forced their MiG 
opponents into spins from which their pilots could not recover.  An 
experienced MiG pilot could get himself out of a spin, but the 
aircraft was somewhat unstable and lacked good stall warning 
properties.  

The turning radius of the MiG was good, somewhat better than that of 
the F-86A, E and early F.  However, this advantage was largely 
eliminated by the advent of the "6-3" wing of the later F-86F.  The 
good turning radius of the MiG was compromised by poor stalling 
characteristics.  These bad stalling characteristics could get a green 
MiG pilot into serious trouble during the stress of a dogfight, 
causing his fighter to suddenly stall, go into an uncontrollable spin, 
and fall out of the sky.  

In contrast, the spinning characteristics of the Sabre were excellent, 
and gave most pilots no trouble at all.  If the F-86 was forced into a 
spin, recovery was usually effected by simply neutralizing the 
controls.  

The MiG-15 armament of one 37-mm N-37 cannon and two 23-mm NR-23 guns 
was designed for attacking bombers, and was not really intended for 
use against fighters.  Forty rounds of 37-mm ammunition and 160 rounds 
of 23-mm ammunition were carried, a rather low ammunition capacity.  
The 37-mm gun fired at a rate of 450 rpm, whereas the 23-mm guns each 
fired at a rate of 650 rpm.  The MiG's armament had a good punch, but 
the rate of fire was too slow to make it effective against nimble, 
rapidly-maneuvering fighters.  In contrast, the F-86's armament of six 
0.50-in machine guns had a rapid firing rate and the aircraft carried 
an ample supply of ammunition.  However, the machine guns of the Sabre 
lacked the stopping power of the MiG's cannon.  It was not uncommon 
for a Sabre pilot to empty all 1600 rounds of his ammunition at a MiG, 
only to see it escape unscathed.  

The gunsight of the MiG-15 was of the simple gyro type, similar to 
that of the early F-86A.  It lacked any radar ranging capability.  The 
radar ranging gunsight of the later Sabres made the F-86 a much more 
accurate gun platform than the MiG, but this accuracy was sometimes 
wasted because of the low weight of fire from the machine guns.  

The MiG was much lighter than the Sabre, weighing only 11,070 pounds 
loaded.  The take off run to clear a 50-foot obstacle was only 2500 
feet, as compared with 3660 feet for the F-86A.  

Internal fuel capacity of the MiG was 372 US gallons, compared with 
435 gallons for the Sabre.  This gave the MiG a range of 480 miles, 
which could be increased to 675 miles with drop tanks.  

During the Korean War, 792 MiG-15s were destroyed by F-86 pilots, with 
118 probables being claimed.  78 Sabres were definitely lost in 
air-to-air combat against the MiGs, with a further 13 Sabres being 
listed as missing in action.  This is about a ten-to-one superiority.  
>From this result, one might naturally conclude that the F-86 was the 
superior fighter.  However, a factor which must also be considered is 
the relative level of experience and competence of the opposing 
pilots.  The US Sabre pilots were all highly trained and competent 
airmen, many of whom had extensive World War 2 combat experience.  
With the exception of some Russian World War 2 veterans who flew MiG 
fighters in Korea, the MiG pilots were often sent into combat with 
only minimal flying experience.  MiG pilots often exercised poor combat 
discipline.  During the course of battle, MiG pilots would often break 
off into confusion and panic, firing wildly, and leaving their wingmen 
unprotected.  Often, a MiG pilot in trouble would eject from his plane 
before anyone actually shot at him.  Many MiG pilots were so 
inexperienced that in the heat of battle they would end up getting 
themselves into uncontrollable spins and crashing.  At times, MiG 
pilots would fire their cannon in an attempt to lighten their loads, 
without really aiming at anything.  Most of the MiG pilots were 
extremely wary of combat, and usually did not attempt to fight unless 
they saw an advantage opening up.  In contrast, the Sabre pilots were 
aggressive and eager for combat, and wanted nothing more than for the 
MiGs to come over the Yalu so that they could add to their scores.  

So, which plane would you rather be sitting in, the MiG-15 or the 
F-86? Perhaps Chuck Yeager said it best--"It isn't the plane that is 
important in combat, it's the man sitting in it." 

Sources:

  F-86 Sabre in Action, Larry Davis, Squadron/Signal Publications, 1992.

  The North American Sabre, Ray Wagner, MacDonald, 1963.

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.

  Flash of the Sabre, Jack Dean, Wings Vol 22, No 5, 1992.

  MiG--A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft, Piotr Butowski and
  Jay Miller, Aerofax, 1991.

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033