Best 50s/60s fighter?

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The 20mm would work well in air-to-air and air-to-ground as it did in the Hunter. Larger caliber cannons like those on the Mig-15 or Mig-17 had velocity problems as admitted by some pilots, it would be like lobbing a brick at something, but god help you if you got hit by one. Remember, later model F-86s had 20mms as well...

A lot more operators used the Sabre (Gotta love Wikpedia)

400px-
37 Operators

400px-
22 Operators

20's!!! 20's!!! who said 20's!!!

4 x 30's almost certainly the most overgunned plane ever built, some had a switch so that you could fire 2 at a time.
 
PS most of the Sabre operators got them with MAP packages, we being tighter, stingier or plain meaner with our money, made the people who bought Hunters pay full whack.

PPS It did generally take a lot of .50's to take down an enemy but one 30mm often did the trick
 
PS most of the Sabre operators got them with MAP packages, we being tighter, stingier or plain meaner with our money, made the people who bought Hunters pay full whack.

PPS It did generally take a lot of .50's to take down an enemy but one 30mm often did the trick
thats how you got the F86s in the RAF and the kill ratio of almost 2-1 for the sabre over the Hunter in the indo/pakistan wars cannot be over looked
 
thats how you got the F86s in the RAF and the kill ratio of almost 2-1 for the sabre over the Hunter in the indo/pakistan wars cannot be over looked

We got Sabres in the RAF because we needed something better than the Meteor / Vampire before the Hunter was in service. Also it wasn't a 2 to 1 loss ratio, that has been covered earlier in the thread. It was 1 to 1 and the Indian Hunters were GA planes and in most cases at a tactical disadvantage.
 
I have dug out an old article written by an RAF pilot who flew the Sabre MK4 in the RAF.

Likes
G suit (remember he came from flying Meteors)
Visibility (loved it)
T-14E ejector seat very comfy (with armrests)
Cockpit (heating that worked, selective differential presure, defrosting and demisting that also worked)
Handling (described as delightfull)
AN/APG 30 radar (good up to 1,800 yard)
The sight had an automatic bomb release
Cleared for intentional spinning
Radio compass


Dislikes
Bonedome (they didn't fit well and didn't have a visor)
Takeoff run
T-14E ejector seat (wasn't as effective as the MB if you had to punch out)
Engine (underpowered and required external power to start)
CG (very sensitive)
Rate of climb and angle of climb
Guns (lacked punch)
In GA role the aproach angle was very shallow
Gyrosyn compass and the artificial horizon toppled easily

They were only in service for 4 years with the RAF
 
I have dug out an old article written by an RAF pilot who flew the Sabre MK4 in the RAF.

Likes
G suit (remember he came from flying Meteors)
Visibility (loved it)
T-14E ejector seat very comfy (with armrests)
Cockpit (heating that worked, selective differential presure, defrosting and demisting that also worked)
Handling (described as delightfull)
AN/APG 30 radar (good up to 1,800 yard)
The sight had an automatic bomb release
Cleared for intentional spinning
Radio compass


Dislikes
Bonedome (they didn't fit well and didn't have a visor)
Takeoff run
T-14E ejector seat (wasn't as effective as the MB if you had to punch out)
Engine (underpowered and required external power to start)
CG (very sensitive)
Rate of climb and angle of climb
Guns (lacked punch)
In GA role the aproach angle was very shallow
Gyrosyn compass and the artificial horizon toppled easily

They were only in service for 4 years with the RAF


The helmets, (I have a P-4 with a visor, it's great) ejection seat and artificial horizons! I give in on the seat and the comments about the GA role - but the marks are high based on that critique!
 
We got Sabres in the RAF because we needed something better than the Meteor / Vampire before the Hunter was in service. Also it wasn't a 2 to 1 loss ratio, that has been covered earlier in the thread. It was 1 to 1 and the Indian Hunters were GA planes and in most cases at a tactical disadvantage.
Sorry my memory on the RAF getting MAP Canadair F86's from the US must be flawed but the 2-1 sources I counted manually from these 2 locations
Indian Air-to-Air Victories since 1948

Pakistani Air-to-Air Victories
 
Sorry my memory on the RAF getting MAP Canadair F86's from the US must be flawed but the 2-1 sources I counted manually from these 2 locations
Indian Air-to-Air Victories since 1948

Pakistani Air-to-Air Victories

Thanks for the site which I have added to my Fav list. It also clears up the confusion as I had the numbers for the 1971 conflict which were close, not the 65 which were in the PAF favour.

Note the Hunters that shot down the IAF aircraft in the 1967 war
 
I've been enjoying this thread and picking up all the Hawker Hunter knowledge
I never knew I wanted! (Hunter truly is a timeless beauty built before computers
took away a lot of the artistry)...Anyway, the one bird you would most fear
in the air against you, one that crossed over from the 50's to the 60's and
which many old pilots continue to pine for is th F-8 Crusader. She gets
my vote for the best.
 
The "Last Gunfighter" was a great bird, did well in Vietnam scoring an impressive kill ratio (19:3). She proved she could feast on the Mig-21 with no problem. I'd still go with the F-86, as stated, the Saber was responsible for creating a lot of empty parking spaces on enemy tarmac.
 
Certainly if we were talking about an F100/Mig19/F8 comparison the Crusader would get my vote.
It had two things the F86 didn't, a decent engine and 20mm's

Sorry FJ
 
1 C-130 Hercules
1 Mirage III
9 Daggers
1 Canberra
1 Pucara
6 A-4 Skyhawks

XZ453 Sea Harrier FRS1
31 Jan 80 1 SHARED over Falklands (Mirage III by Lt. S. Thomas, 801 NAS, HMS Invincible)


may have mauled the Mirage V...but not the 111
 

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