Introduced just in time for Korea, the North American F-86 Sabre was America's premier fighter aircraft of the time, famously being the United State's response to the Soviet MiG-15 encountered in Korea. Originally designed with straight wings - adapted from their P-51 Mustang of WWII fame - it was rejected in favor of the XP-80 and XP-84 which had a head start in their development.To tip the scales in their favor, North American designed new wings using German WWII aeronautical research, which displayed that a thin, swept back wing would give the new fighter a great advantage.

Over the skies of Korea, the F-86 Sabre proved a worthy opponent for the well-regarded MiG-15, though early Sabres still needed some improvement, and the playing field was truly leveled with the introduction of the F-86F in 1953. One of the major advantages that the Sabre had over the MiG was its gun sight which was able to automatically adjust for target lead with a radar mounted in the nose above the intake.

The F-86's lineage included Canadian production Canadair Sabres, Australian CAC Sabres, and FJ-2/-3 Fury jets made to navy specification. The type directly sprouted numerous developments such as an all weather interceptor variant , the F-86D Sabre "Sabre Dog", the upgraded navy-spec FJ-4 Fury, and eventually the North American F-100 Super Sabre, the first of the Century Series aircraft.

With 9,860 being produced, and more than 5 nations using the format, the Sabre and its variants continued to be used long past the intended period. Its legacy, combat abilities and striking looks have cemented its place as one of the most famous aircraft of all time.