Naked Port F-86
Pedro Santos
The North American F-86 Sabre was a subsonic, diurnal jet combat fighter developed by North American from the end of 1944 and became one of the most produced fighters in the Western world, in the time of the Cold War The best of the best of the He became famous for his involvement in the Korean War where he successfully faced his main opponent of the MiG-15.
The F-86 in the Portuguese Air Force
In 1955 during negotiations for renewal of Air Base N. ° 4 on the Slabs to the United States, more F-84 G aircraft were requested to complement the 50 units operating on N Air Force Base. ° 2 on Ota, the answer was affirmative and further proposed supply of the F-86 E to constitute two precincts, on condition that one of the precincts stays at the Slabs Air Force Base in the Azores.
FAP F-86 F preserved in BA 5 Mount Real
With the signing of the agreement in November 1957, precinct 50 was created in February 1958 under the command of Major Moura Pinto, interim operating at Air Base n. o 2 in Ota until the inauguration of future Air Base n. the 5 in Monte Real The first F-86's started arriving from August 1958, coming from USAF stocks. However, the 65 planes provided were in the entirety of the ′′ F ′′ block 35 model and not of the ′′ E ′′ model as originally agreed, they were elevated to the F-86 F block 40 standard, with transportation capacity and shooting AIM-9 B Sidewinder missile, which were acquired in 1962.
On 4 October 1959 Air Base n. The 5 in Monte Real became operational and until December all logistics and all F-86 s finished the move, where they stayed operating in precinct 51, ′′ Falcões ′′ and the newly created Squadron 52 ′′ Roosters ", both integrated into the 501. Operational Group. Due to the need to ensure commitments to the security of the Territories in Africa, the 52 ′′ Galos ′′ Squadron was deactivated on June 12, 1961, its pilots assigned to other tasks and their planes integrated into precinct 51.
Engagement in Africa
On July 9, 1961 eight F-86 F, with the n. tail, 5314, 5322, 5326, 5354, 5356,,,, began a journey of 3 3 km the equivalent of six hours and ten minutes of flight, a record for the Portuguese Air Force at the time, which took them to Bissalanca, at the time an airfield near Bissau in Portuguese Guinea, present-day Guinea-Bissau, constituting the detachment 52. The mission that became known by code name Atlas, was commanded by Major Ramiro de Almeida Santos and were supposed to stay on the ground only 8 days, giving a demonstration of strength, in order to avoid events similar to those seen months earlier in the province of Angola and in which several hundred colonists and natives have been slaughtered.
However, with the aggravating situation in Angola and with the beginning of the movement of the PAIGC guerrillas, the F-86 s stayed, but only entered combat operations in the summer of 1963, when the southern part of the colony had to be evacuated, due to intense guerrilla activity. Between August 1963 and October 1964, the F-86 s flew 577 missions most of them from nearby ground attack or air support. Of the eight aircraft assigned, seven were hit by enemy fire, but they always made it back. Two were destroyed, the 5314th-17th August 1962 in an emergency landing, still with the bombs on the external fixation supports and the 5322th-31th May 1963 shot down by fire enemy anti-aircraft. In both cases the pilots were immediately recovered alive.
Strong political pressures exerted by the North American Administration, made the continuation of the operation impossible and dictated the return of Sabres to Portugal, as they were provided within NATO and were intended to protect their southern flank. The last operational mission, took place on 20 October 1964 and was starring Major Barbeitos de Sousa, after which the 52 detachment was dissolved, passing his missions to be carried out by the Fiat G. 91 / R4 and North American T-6 Havard.
F-86 F (5319) outside the air museum in Sintra.
Final stage round
Following the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974, the Portuguese Air Force experienced difficult times, with the sabotage and destruction of several aircraft, the abandonment of most planes in the former overseas provinces, the lack of parts and absence of maintenance, indiscipline, defective chain of command or absence thereof, combined with instability associated with Revolutionary Process in Course. Despite being totally outdated, near the end of the decade only six F-86 s were in flight condition, finally July 31, 1980 are removed from active after the last flight, the farewell flight lasting 1 h25m, in which a pair of F-86, n. Tail 5347 and 5360 s flew all FAP units, piloted respectively by Lieutenant Colonel Victor Silva and Captain Wheel.