On this day in engineering history, a United States Air Force (USAF) F-86 Sabre shot down two North Korean MiG-15s in the first jet-to-jet dogfight. Piloted by Lt. Russell J. Brown, the F-86 Sabre was a single-seat, high-altitude, swept-wing fighter with superior diving and turning capabilities. A horizontal stabilizer or tailplane provided equilibrium, stability and control. The Soviet-built Mikoyan Gurevich 15 (MiG-15) outperformed the Sabre in terms of ceiling, acceleration, rate of climb and zoom, but was unable to match the roll rate and turn radius of the F-86. USAF pilots were also better trained than their North Korean and Chinese counterparts. According to American accounts, Sabre pilots claimed a kill ratio of 14:1 against the MiG-15 during the Korean War.
The jet-to-jet dogfights along the Yalu River are some of the most storied in the history of air combat. During the first months of the war, the swept-wing MiG-15 dominated straight-wing aircraft such as the Gloster Meteor. Piston-powered planes such as the F-51 Mustang were also no match for the transonic MiG-15. Although the arrival of the F-86 Sabre changed the balance of power in "MiG Alley", the United States continued to offer a reward of $100,000 to any MiG pilot who defected. In September 1953, a North Korean flier named No Kum-Sok landed at Kimpo Air Base in South Korea. Chuck Yeager, the American test pilot who had broken the sound barrier, later flew the captured craft and reported that the MiG-15 required dangerous spin-recovery maneuvers.
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