F-86F Sabre: Longstanding symbol of U.S.-Japan alliance

Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | An F-86F Sabre dedication plaque sits in Risner Circle at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Dec. 18, 2018. After the first Combined Air Festival in 1980, the Japanese and American base commanders decided to use the F-86 as a symbol of the Japan-U.S. friendship. Service members from Hamamatsu Air Base, Japan, dissembled the aircraft and it arrived at Misawa AB on July 3, 1981, to be reassembled and displayed. Engraved on this plaque is the statement, “This aircraft is dedicated to the friendship between the Japanese and American peoples. May it live forever.” (U.S. Air Force photo)  

MISAWA AIR BASE, AOMORI, JAPAN

01.10.2019

Story by Senior Airman Sadie Colbert 

35th Fighter Wing

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --
Risner Circle at Misawa Air Base, Japan, displays the F-86F as a static aircraft today.

After the first Combined Air Festival in 1980, the Japanese and American base commanders dedicated an F-86F as a symbol of the U.S.-Japan friendship.

The F-86F Sabre began production in 1952, and gained popularity during the Korean War. It displayed a superior ability to survive, had no operating problems and effectively stable at high altitudes. By mid-1953, Fifth Air Force described it as the most suitable fighter-bomber in Korea, downing 818 MIGs during combat.

• Date Taken: 01.10.2019
• Date Posted: 01.10.2019 18:27
• Story ID: 306677
• Location: MISAWA AIR BASE, AOMORI, JP