Museum Audio Tour 14: Modern Flight Gallery: Korean War Air Superiority

DAYTON, OH, UNITED STATES

12.31.1969

Audio by NMUSAF PA 

National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

In Korea, the air superiority fight reflected the end of propeller-driven fighters and the supremacy of jet aircraft. At the beginning of the war in June 1950, the U.S. Air Force Far East Air Forces had the piston-engine F-51D Mustang, the all-weather F-82 Twin Mustang, and the jet-propelled, straight-winged F-80 Shooting Star. Skilled U.S Air Force pilots overwhelmed the inexperienced pilots of the North Korean Air Force, who were equipped with about 140 World War II-era piston-engine aircraft. After defeating the North Korean Air Force, UN air forces enjoyed a period of air supremacy until the arrival of the MiG-15 in November 1950. Flown by Soviet pilots, the MiG-15 threatened to wrest control of the air away UN forces—it seriously outclassed the best USAF fighter in Korea, that was the F-80C. The U.S. Air Force counter to the MiG threat was the swept-wing, F-86 Sabre jet fighter. The F-86A entered combat in mid-December and quickly proved its worth. The MiG-15 versus the F-86 in Korea has long been the subject of comparison. While the MiG-15 enjoyed some performance advantages against early model F-86s, it also suffered serious vices that killed a number of its pilots. The F-86 was a better gun platform and could dive faster. Ultimately, any MiG-15 performance advantages over the Sabre were more than offset by the superior training of American pilots. When the communists tried to challenge UN air superiority, they suffered heavy losses from U.S. Air Force Sabres almost every time. The combination of the F-86 Sabre and superior U.S. Air Force pilots denied the communist armies air cover and gave protection to UN forces on the ground. Except on isolated occasions, UN ground troops seldom saw a communist aircraft, while enemy soldiers suffered under relentless UN air attack. In controlling the skies, the U.S. Air Force performed brilliantly and successfully in its first combat test as a separate service.

• Date Taken: 12.31.1969
• Date Posted: 09.02.2015 12:12
• Category: Newscasts
• Audio ID: 41911
• Filename: 1509/DOD_102704068.mp3
• Length: 00:02:28
• Album: Museum Audio Tour
• Track #: 14
• Location: DAYTON, OH, US