North American F-86 Sabre / McConnellKorean War ACE McConnell North American F 86 Sabre airplane model. The F 86, the USAF's first swept wing jet fighter, made its initial flight on October 1, 1947. The first production model flew on May 20, 1948, and on September 15, 1948, an F 86A set a new world speed record of 670. 9 mph. Originally designed as a high altitude day fighter, it was subsequently redesigned into an all weather interceptor (F 86D) and a fighter bomber (F 86H). As a day