This aircraft is number 19 of a batch of 50 F-86F Sabres that Portugal received in 1958 from USAF stock.

It is one of several preserved examples in the hands of the Portuguese Air Force Museum, at least three of which are in good condition. Nothing extraordinary, if one recalls that the last Sabres were retired from service with the PAF in 1980.

This aircraft had – and still carries – the USAF serial number 52-5262, making it an F-86F-35NA, production batch NA-191, of which 108 units were built. 859 other units produced under the batch NA-191 were F-86F-30. USAF serials for these 108 Sabres were 52-5164 thru 5271.

Main difference of the –35 over the –30 was the installation of a Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS), and some extra rigging, that allowed the aircraft to launch a nuclear bomb using the toss technique. Most F-86F-35s were, therefore, sent to service in Europe.

Of particular interest is that the beautifully marked Sabre that’s featured in the Hasegawa’s 1/48^th F-86F-30 box art, serial number 52-5222, is from the very same production block. Indeed the second aircraft on the decal sheet is a –30, but the first is in fact a –35. 52-5222 was the Boss Bird of the 21^st FBG / FBW at Wheelus AB, in Tripoli, Libya.

Since those days, this PAF aircraft has suffered few changes. Even in the cockpit there are a few instruments left out, but few visible additions, mostly on top of the dashboard.

Originally, at the time represented in the Hasegawa’s decals, the aircraft detailed in here had the factory fitted hard 6-3 wing. Later it was retrofitted with the slatted 6-3 wing with extended wing tips that first came to light on the Japanese F-86F-40. At the same time it was fitted with the starboard rear fuselage scoop – auxiliary intake – as seen on later F-86F-40s. Most USAF F-86F-30 and -35 were retrofitted with the slatted 6-3 wing with extended wingtips. On a side note, Canadair Mk 6 Sabres had a slatted 6-3 wing, but without the tip extensions.

Some modeling information comparing this aircraft as it is now with the bird from the same batch featured on the Hasegawa’s F-86F-30 USAF decal sheet:

All the pictures were taken by me in October 96 and Mach 97. They are copyrighted, but free for personal enjoyment. All other uses require my written consent.

Pictures were taken with a Minolta Dinax/Maxxum 700si, with 35-200mm zoom, with Kodak Ektar and Royal Gold 100 ASA film. They were scanned from 150 x 200 mm copies at 75dpi using an HP Scanjet 4C.

This webpage was last revised on December 1999.

José "Almansur" Herculano herculano@mail.telepac.pt