F-86 vs. Mig 15: The Knights of the Korean Skies

The Korean War was the first of the small wars that dragged the American flag through Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq after 1945.
In search of a decisive victory, Communist and UN armies surged clashed across the Korean hills and skies.
Between December 1950 and July 1953, the northwest corner of North Korea between the Chongchon and Yalu rivers witnessed an air campaign unlike any other in history.
It was almost entirely fought by two opposing forces: those flying the North American F-86 Sabre, the US Air Force's premier air superiority day-fighter, and those flying the Soviet Red Air Force's powerful interceptor, the MiG-15.
The technological protagonists were different, yet curiously well-matched.
The MiG-15 was a bomber-killer whose prey were the B-29 Superfortresses pounding North Korea.
The Superforts that had terrorized Tokyo in 1945 were such sitting ducks in 1950 that they had to switch to night bombing missions where the MiG-15 was much less deadly.
But then like a near-supersonic cavalry (maximum speed about 680 miles per hour) came a few squadrons of F-86s.
And the fight was ON!
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[@carlrichards5207]

The F86 is a fine machine.

[@jessepacheco6020]

Air combat before air to air missiles were wild. These days you'd never see the plane that shot you down.

[@malikiori]

Wasn't the Saber more maneuverable than the Mig-15?

[@James-nl6fu]

The T80 Shooing Star was a 1st generation (developed during world war 2) and at a decisive disadvantage against the 2nd gen Mig 15. The 1st time T80 pilots were attacked by the swept wing Migs.Some were so shocked, they thought that they must being attacked by American F86 Sabres.

[@albertbegin5119]

I consider the F-86 and P-51 the most beautiful aircraft ever built.

[@TheMichaelkim3]

Very intense war

[@seanwalter4018]

There was a book I read a while back (Hot Shots…maybe) that mentioned it wasn’t until later models of the Sabre where we could outperform the MiG-15. Is that accurate?

[@jessepacheco6020]

They had an advantage on climb and high speed maneuvering. After some upgrades like the hydraulic elevators on the tail, the Mig lost it's advantage. The Sabre had a 8:1 kill ratio against the Mig.

[@currawongee1]

Thank you.

[@bsdaldal]

Hell yeah!

[@Haydn109]

2:37 I like it when they share facts about each jet fighter. Obviously, that doesn't mean they improved as the time went by.

[@RealJohnnyDingo]

the voiceover is so slow, is it targeted at the cognitively challenged, or perhaps Joe Biden? 😜

[@shanefelkel9966]

Love the F-86, but it's pretty well known (once you dispense with the propaganda) that MiGs dominated until the Sabres got their armament upgraded to cannons.

[@DCdc-rn8sz]

The Air force and fighter Jets of the US are the best of the world...one of the reasons the US is a superpower

[@7timecenturycyclistvespada982]

Most of the MiG pilots were Russian! At first it was students then after why they sent in instructors… that tells me🤔 someone was loosing and had to put in the professionals to stay even…

[@gassanbehno8748]

12-1😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂