"SUPER" SABRE
The RAAF Avon Sabreby Jim Flemming
As early as 1949, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) began planning for a replacement jet fighter for the locally-built Commonwealth Aircraft Company (CAC) version of the North American P-51D/K Mustang and DeHaviland Vampire, then in service with the RAAF. Several designs were under consideration including the Grumman F9F Panther, Hawker P.1081, and their own CA-23 twin-jet, all-weather interceptor. However, none of these designs would win out in the end.
When the Korean War broke out on 25 June 1950, the Australian government committed No. 77 Squadron to the conflict as part of the United Nations forces. The squadron was equipped with Mustang fighters. Because of the growing threat from Soviet MiG-15 jet fighters in the skies over Northwest Korea, the Mustangs were soon replaced with Gloster Meteor Mk. 7 twin-jet fighters. But the Meteors were no match for the speedy MiG-15 either.The answer that the RAAF found was the same one that the US Air Force realized during the late months of 1950 - the North American F-86 Sabre. In May 1951, plans were finalized for the CAC, who already had a good working arrangement with North American, to build a modified version of the (then) brand new F-86F Sabre. The redesign would feature two major changes - the engine and the armament.
In place of the standard General Electric J47-GE-27 engine, which offered
5910 lbs. of thrust, the CAC engineers installed a Rolls Royce Avon RA-7 engine which was rated at 7520 Ibs. of thrust. However the installation of the Avon engine called for enlarging the intake opening. To preserve the aircraft center of gravity, the engine was moved further aft in the fuselage due to the fact that it was some 400 lbs lighter in weight. Movement of the engine installation also meant that the real fuselage engine service 'break' had to be changedIn addition, the cockpit layout was modified and the fuselage fuel tankage was changed. CAC engineers estimate that some 60% of the airframe had been changed over the original F-86F design. And that didn't include the new armament.
The F-86F was armed with six M3 .50 caliber machine guns. But pilots in Korea complained that the .50 caliber guns weren't heavy enough to knock down the MiGs they encountered, despite the final 10-1 victory ratio in favor of Sabre pilots. The CAC engineers opted to install a pair of Aden 30mm cannons, which had a rate of fire of 1200 rounds per minute. There was one problem, which was also encountered with the re-armed F-86F-2 GUNVAL Sabres that had T160 20mm cannons installed - a lack of space for ammunition. The small Sabre fuseage would only hold 162 of the 30mm rounds. A type A-4 gunsight was used, which was very similar to the one in the F-86F.
Flight controls remained as on the F-86F, including the 'all flying tail' as well as the standard F-86F wing with leading edge slats. The '6-3 hard wing' came later. The new `super' Sabre prototype known as the Sabre Mk. 30 and designated by CAC as CA-26, serial A94-101, was completed in July 1953. RAAF Flt Lt W. Scott made the first flight on 3 August 1953. A94-101 went to the Air Research Development Unit in 1955, and later was used at Wagga for airframe instruction, before finally being used to test ejector seats. A94-101 now resides in the CAC museum at Melbourne.
Production aircraft were designated CA-27 Sabre. The first production aircraft, serial A94-901, flew on 13 July 1954. This aircraft was my personal aircraft when I commanded No. 76 "Black Panther" Squadron at Williamstown. Twenty two CA-27 Sabre Mk. 30s were built. All were powered by imported Avon RA-7 engines, and had the standard Sabre wing with leading edge slats. The Sabre Mk. 31 waspowered by a CAC-built Avon Mk 20 engine and had the new '6-3 hard wing' that North American had developed for the F-86F-25/-30 Sabre. CAC built a total of 20 Mk. 30s.
The final version of the CAC Sabre was the Mk.32. The major difference was introduction of the strengthened wing that had an additional pair of `hard points' to carry extra underwing fuel tanks or ordnance. CAC built a total of 69 Mk. 32 Sabres. In 1960, two additional hard points and wiring were added inboard of the main landing gear. This allowed installation and capability to fire the AIM-9 Sidewinder air to air missile.
The CAC-built Mk. 26 Avon engine was retrofitted to all Sabre Mk. 30/31/32 models, along with the new wing, which effectively brought the entire force to Mk. 32 standard. The last of 112 CAC Sabres, serial A94-973, was delivered on 19 December 1961. The entire CAC Sabre production was delivered to RAAF forces.
The first production aircraft were delivered to the Sabres Trial Flight that was part of No. 2(F) OTU based at RAAF Williamstown on 1 November 1954. The first squadron equipped with the Sabre Mk. 30 was No. 75 Squadron, that became combat operational on 4 April 1955. Before the end of its career with the RAAF, six squadrons were operational with the Avon Sabre - five fighter squadrons and an Operational Conversion Unit.
When the communists attempted a takeover in Malaysia in the late 1950s, the RAAF committed several squadrons to the conflict under the provisions called for in the South-East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) agreements. Beginning in early 1959, Nos. 3 and 77 Squadrons flew ground attack and counter-insurgency missions, ending their involvement in mid-1960.
On 1 June 1962, eight Avon Sabres deployed to Ubon Royal Thai AFB to counter the growing communist threat in Southeast Asia. The detachment was formed into No. 79 Squadron, and remained on alert status at Ubon until August 1968. Their mission was flying top cover over the Thai air bases that were supporting the ongoing war against North Vietnam.
Beginning in 1964, the Avon Sabre squadrons were phased out and replaced with Mirage III aircraft. As the Sabres were phased out, several were put up for sale, with both Mayasia and Indonesia purchasing many of the Avon Sabres from RAAF inventories. Finally, on 31 July 1971, the RAAF officially retired the Commonwealth Aircraft Company CA-26/-27 Sabre from service.
DAWN FLYBY FOR
"ALLEY CAT ZERO"by Phil Janney
`Alley Cat Zero' joined the 62nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron at O'Hare AFB, IL, on a freezing winter morning in 1953. She arrived ingloriously, sputtering and yowling, under the hood of a Pontiac convertible, which was making some terrible noises. The early bird pilot was amazed to find the grimy-white, six-toed stowaway kitten when the hood was opened. How she got there and avoided a gruesome end were never discovered. But her presence was regarded as a sure omen by the men of the Fighting 62nd, whose call sign was "Alley Cat". Promptly dubbed "Alley Cat Zero", the newest member of the squadron was quickly mollified by a warm saucer of milk and assumed her duties as squadron mascot.
Soon she settled into life in the Operations building, even with the early morning scrambles and the roar of jet engines. At the time the 62nd was in the process of changing from F-86As to F-86Ds, so everyone could see both aircraft streaking white trails across the clear blue Illinois sky.Initiated by enterprising pilots miffed by the on-going hostility displayed by the locals disenchanted with the nearness of the thundering jets, the scrambles were justified as "scheduled flybys for `Alley Cat Zero". Further questioning by the fuming civilians inevitably dead-ended with "Sorry, that's classified!" It wasn't until three months later when some industrious civilian managed to reach higher Headquarters, that the F-86 flybys were discontinued.
Alley Cat Zero, never shy about notoriety, soon made history again when the squadron CO took her up in a F-86D, and calmly broke the sound barrier with her on his lap. The story was leaked to the press with the following results:
1) Puss & Boots cat food company awarded Alley Cat Zero a medal as the `First Supersonic Cat'! 2) The CO was fired! 3) The ASPCA was determined to charge the squadron with cruelty to animals. and 4) Alley Cat Zero thought it was all great fun and had to be prevented from sneaking aboard future outgoing flights.
After a year of faithfully serving as mascot for the 62nd FIS, Alley Cat Zero disappeared as mysteriously as she had arrived. It was the custom in those days to change squadron call signs on a yearly basis. When the `Alley Cat' call sign disappeared from the air waves, so did the little kitten. The pilots, while regretting her loss, seemed to feel that she'd done her duty to the 62nd and moved on to bigger and better things.
STARS AND STRIPES
OVER KOREAby Larry Davis & Many Others
During those dark early days of the Korean War, the US 5th Air Force F-80 Shooting Star pilots encountered a new and very menacing jet fighter in the skies over North Korea - the Mikoyan Gurevich type 15 or MiG-15. It was a small silver jet fighter with swept back wings and tail. Almost overnight, the MiG-15 obsoleted every other type in the theater and for the first time in a long time, the US Air Force did NOT have air superiority over a battlefield.
The Pentagon's answer was simple - "Send our own little silver jet fighter with swept wings to Korea", the North American F-86A Sabres of the veteran 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing. In early December 1950, the escort carrier USS Cape Esperance docked in Yokosuka Bay and unloaded the first of 75 F-86As. A few days after unloading, the first seven Sabres were ready for combat against the MiG-15.But there was one little problem. In conversations with 5th AF pilots that had flown against the MiG-15, and after viewing gun camera film of some of the encounters, LtCol. John Meyer, CO of the 4th FIG, came to the conclusion that the resemblance between the MiG and the Sabre was such that it might be possible to mistake one for the other during combat.
Present during one of these meetings was Flt Lt J.A.O. `Omer' Levesque, an RCAF pilot that was TDY with the 4th Wing when they were alerted to go to Korea. Omer Levesque had been an ace during World War 2, quickly got permission from RCAF Headquarters to accompany the 4th Group into combat in Korea. As he sat listening to the conversation about the similarities between the MiG and the Sabre, he suggested that perhaps they could apply some quick identification marks like the D-Day bands that were applied to all tactical aircraft flying over France that fateful day in June 1944.
He made a quick sketch of the side profile of an F-86 and drew on the same vertical black and white bands that had been applied in June 1944 - three black and two white. He also suggested that they be applied to the wings, again just like 1944. But this was Korea and the Sabre was much more aerodynamic than anything flown in 1944. Lt Col Meyer looked at Levesque's drawings and ordered it done - with one change. The fuselage bands would be angled toward the front of the airplane. It fit the profile of the Sabre to a "T".
Thus it was that before any airplane left Kisarazu, Japan, for Kimpo AB, Korea, all previous unit markings were removed and the new black & white stripes were added to the fuselage and wings. In addition, a thin black stripe was added to the leading edge of the rudder as a group marking.
In September 1951, the first F-86E Sabres were unloaded in Japan. Although several made their way to the 4th Group at Kimpo, the majority of the new E model Sabres were bound for the 51st FIG based at Suwon AB, about 50 miles south of Kimpo. The 51st Wing was commanded by the greatest living ace in the US Air Force, LtCol Francis Gabreski, known to everyone as simply "Gabby". Gabby had flown with the 56th Group in World War 2, which were readily known to be non-conformist in every way including aircraft markings.
When it came time for the 51st Group to paint stripes on their airplanes as per Far East Air Force (FEAF) regulations, Gabby wouldn't hear of their airplanes looking like those of the 4th. They opted to paint their ID bands black and YELLOW. This would differentiate them from both the MiGs and the 4th Group Sabres. The 51st Group would have large yellow bands with thin black borders, painted on the fuselage and wings. No other unit markings would be carried, except for some small squadron badges under the cockpit.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the Yalu. 5th AF discovered that the 51st Group black and yellow bands were easier to see than the black and white bands found on 4th Group Sabres. In November 1951, FEAF changed the regulation in favor of the black and yellow bands. As airplanes were rotated through Kisarazu for maintenance, the black and white bands were removed and the new wide black and yellow bands were applied.
Now all the Sabres looked alike, which displeased both units' personnel. Something had to be changed so that pilots knew who was flying around them in the hostiles skies over Korea. The 4th decided that if they HAD to have black and yellow bands, why not have them on the tail also. Not to be outdone, the Suwon gang decided to really get gaudy and applied large black checks to the silver tail. Squadron identification was done by adding a large squadron badge to the 4th Group Sabres; while 51st Group squadrons painted a small color band on the tail just above the checkerboard.
Enter the 18th Wing. In January 1953, the 18th Fighter Bomber Group converted from F-51Ds to F-86Fs. Even though their primary mission was fighter bomber, the FEAF regulations still called for their airplanes to carry the black and yellow ID bands. Originally, the 18th adopted a tail band that was exactly the same size and shape as the 4th FIG Sabres, except that it was dark blue with red or yellow borders in the squadron colors. Later they adopted a variation of the tail stripes used on No. 2 Squadron, SAAF, Sabres, except the colors were red, white and blue.
In May the 8th FBG also converted to Sabres. They retained their old "sunburst" tail stripes in the squadron colors, to go with the FEAF black and yellow ID bands. And the FEAF regs went for all Sabre aircraft operating in the Far East. Just in different colors. One F-86D squadron in the 35th FIG even had polka dots!!! on the fuselage bands, which were in dark blue. (Does anyone have any color shots of these F-86Ds?) Even in Europe, some units adopted the FEAF ID bands for their Sabres which were operating very close to the Iron Curtain, just in different colors.
So there you have it. At least everything that we know to this point. We still can't put a definite date on exactly when FEAF ordered the 4th FIG to change over to the black and yellow bands but we have narrowed it down. Anyone with a firm answer for this can contact the Editor.
SURPRISE ATTACK!
by Gene Mechling
I wrote this for the 401st and 366th TFW troops that were stationed at England AFB, Alexandria, Louisiana, from 1952-1955, and later flying the F-86. I thought some of you clowns might get a laugh out of it.
It was the Summer of 1954, the scene was Friday evening after work at the 0 Club. Suddenly we hear the roar of 4-8 engines at very low altitude. We all rushed outside to see Alex being bombed by a couple of B-17s! Not real bombs, but beaucoup rolls of Charmin's finest. There were toilet paper rolls streaming down all over the place. What the hell is going on and WHY? What did we do to deserve this unceremonious dumping on intrepid and 'always innocent' fighter pilots and their illustrious base.Unbeknownst to all of us, another similar scene had been played out earlier in the day. It appears that there was an early warning radar air defense test going on at Eglin AFB, earlier that morning. Lt.Col. Carroll McElroy's 391st Squadron was on airfield defense at Eglin Field #9, ready to scramble and intercept Lt.Col. John England's 389th Squadron, which was the `attack force' from Alexandria.
The 389ths mission was to get in under the radar and attack the defending 391st Squadron and their base at Eglin #9. The 391st was to intercept them if forewarned by the early warning radar.
The problem was that the 389th got in under the radar okay, but their navigation was a bit off track and they bombed the wrong Eglin auxiliary field with Charmin's finest. The rolls had been stuffed into the speed brake wells of their F-86s and they hit the target right on the nose. But surprise, surprise - and horrors, it was the wrong target! The unsuspecting target was a B-17 drone squadron at Elgin Auxiliary #7. OUCH! The 389th got the `Mickey' on the wrong bunch this time and it backfired big time.
Consequently, it was now payback time! And that's what hit Alex and the 0 Club that afternoon in retaliation. B-17s have a large bomb bay and there were miles of Charmin streaming down when the big B-17 drones came over. Touché big time! The B-17s then calmly turned around and droned back to Eglin without incident. And I'm sure there was more than a few guffaws around the bar at Eglin #7.
The humiliation of it all! To be bombed by unknown and unsuspected BOMBERS, and DRONES no less - that was to much. And John England, our squadron CO and a big ace in World War 2, didn't take lightly to the laughter and the ribbing, particularly from the 391st squadron and another ace, Carroll McElroy. Thus one Squadron Ops officer, the fingered navigator, found gainful employment in another squadron occupation.
NO TACAN, NO IFF, NO JOY!
BUT NOT LOST!by Dan McGrath
In the middle of a wretched winter in 1959, hard on the Missouri River at Sioux City AB, Iowa, flying the all-weather F-86L at night would probably classify as a dangerous challenge to the casual observer. But for the young pilots in the 14th FIS, it was what we did every day. Breaking 100 and 1/4 was a routine operation, but one that dictated that you and your airplane quickly became one. You were essentially a middleman connecting the radar system to the controls. And you soon developed a sense of confidence that your partner-ship was effective, efficient, and SAFE.
Hence, I launched one December night leading two other Sabres in the normal 5 mile in-trail radar formation. The fact that my TACAN was inoperative during the ground check was only a minor problem. The weather was basically VFR in the vicinity. In any case, we'd be under GCI control, so getting back home wasn't given a second thought.Another slight `hiccup' occurred when the GCI controller repeated his request for my IFF squawk. After I recycled the IFF a couple of times, it was apparent that it was inoperative. Because ADC rules dictated that the Flight Lead have an operating IFF, I reluctantly broke out of the practice intercept and #2 took over Lead.
With nothing better to do, I motored around the area for awhile to burn off fuel before re-turning to Sioux City. The F-86L was limited to about 45 minutes worth of JP-4 on intercept missions, so this process didn't take long. When it was time to recover, I spotted the `glowing lights of the city', and headed home. I planned to land VFR, and although technically still under GCI control, I didn't ask for recovery instructions.
When I arrived over the `lights', I told GCI that I "was above Sioux City", and indicated my in-tent to recover at the base some 5 miles south. Then came the ominous words from another F-86 (as it turned out the Squadron Safety Officer) : "If you see the lights, you're not over Sioux City! Sioux City's under heavy clouds! Over?!"
"So now what?", I thought. "I can't be lost. I'll just get a TACAN bearing. Whoops, no TACAN. OK, I'll just get a GCI fix. Whoops, no IFF either!" I checked with GCI and asked for a skin paint. But they had no idea where to look so that didn't work either. In fact, it merely made two of us who now had absolutely no idea where I was!
But I remained confident that there was no problem, for I could definitely see the lights of Lincoln, Nebraska, some 75 miles to the south. I'd surely be able to land at Lincoln. By now, the 1100 pounds of fuel remaining made that option somewhat tenuous. But seeing no alter-native, I reported my plans to GCI and headed south.
"Don't do that!", came the pleading voice of the Squadron Safety Officer, probably anticipating how he was going to report a flamed out F-86L crashing on the way to Lincoln. Just at that moment, the blinking lights of a descending Sabre flashed by going north. "Aha!", I thought, "If that's no. 2, I can follow them home."
Sure enough, another airplane appeared in trail with the first. I immediately pulled a 180 and joined up on a most-startled squadron mate. They were on a different frequency so I couldn't make radio contact, but there was no way he was going to lose me. I probably should have tried Guard Channel, but we had strict instruction not to use Guard except in an emergency. In this case, I was safely joined up. And making a weather approach on the wing of an-other F-86 was easy. So, with that bit of dumb luck, there was no emergency.
On the ground, a somewhat flustered #3, one of the new guys, was wondering who the hell had flown his wing home without saying a word. At the same time, the Squadron safety Officer, having counted noses, was on his way to the Club for a drink, where he found me trying to avoid talking about the jerk who al-most got lost that night. ALMOST!