The F-86H was the last and most powerful of the Sabre series, representing the developmental limit of this fighter design. It was also the strongest of the F-86s, combining the best features of its predecessors and proved to be a superb fighter-bomber. North American Aviation in Columbus, Ohio (NH) built 473 H-series Sabres.

The F-86H first became operational in the fall of 1954 and five US Air Force Wings flew the type by 1956. Their phase out from the USAF began in 1957, and by year’s end fourteen Air National Guard (ANG) squadrons took on F-86H fighter-bombers. By mid-1958, all F-86Hs were out of the USAF and into the Air National Guard. All Sabre types were phased out of the ANG by late 1970. The US Navy became operators of the F-86H. Some flew briefly in the early 1970s as MiG-17 simulators in the Navy’s “Top Gun” school. The rest were used in the Navy’s drone program as full scale targets.

Combat Air Museum gained Conditional Transfer of 53-1300 through Federal Surplus Property in 1984. The aircraft was transported from Waterloo, Iowa to Topeka, KS via a Kansas Army National Guard CH-54 Tarhe in May 1985. The aircraft will be repainted with markings it carried when it flew with the 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron (the Irish Guard), Massachusetts ANG, at Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts circa 1962 (see image below).

This aircraft is on Conditional Transfer to Combat Air Museum from the Kansas State Agency for Federal Surplus Property
and the General Services Administration

Assignments
3 May 1955	Delivered to USAF from North American Aviation, Columbus, Ohio
May 1955	To 359th Combat Crew Training Wing (Air Training Command) Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada
January 1957	To Spartan Aircraft Corp., Ontario, California, for contract work
December 1957	To 101st Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) Massachusetts Air National Guard (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts
June 1958	With 102nd Consolidated Logistics Maintenance Squadron (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts
April 1959	To 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts
November 1961	To 102nd Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), USAF Europe, Phalsbourg AB, France
July 1962	Returned to Boston, Massachusetts
August 1962	To 101st TFS (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts
April 1963	To 102nd TFG (MAANG), Logan Field, (Boston) Massachusetts
October 1963	To 156th FG (PRANG), San Juan, Puerto Rico
April 1964	To Lear Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico, for contract work
November 1964	To 156th FG (PRANG), San Juan, Puerto Rico
August 1967	To L.S.I. Service Corp., Travis Field, Georgia, for contract work
January 1968	To 175th TFG (MDANG), Martin Airport, (Baltimore) Maryland
May 1968	To 140th TFW (Tactical Air Command), Martin Airport (Baltimore), Maryland
June 1968	Deployed to Cannon AFB, (Clovis) New Mexico
December 1968	Returned to Baltimore, Maryland
December 1968	To 175th TFW (MDANG), Martin Airport, (Baltimore) Maryland
July 1970	Dropped from USAF Inventory
???? – 1985	Hawkeye Institute, Waterloo, Iowa
May 1985	Combat Air Museum
TECHNICAL NOTES:	(F-86H-10-NA)
Manufacturer:	North American
Basic Role:	Single-seat fighter-bomber
Crew:	One
Engines:	One 8,920 lb. (39.7kN) static thrust General Electric J73-GE-3 turbojet.
Maximum speed:	692 mph (1,114km/hr)
Cruising speed:	552 mph (888km/hr)
Range (combat radius):	519 miles (835km) Ferry
Max Range:	1,810 miles (2,913km)
Service Ceiling:	50,800 ft (15,484m)
Wingspan:	39 ft 1.4 in (11.9m)
Length:	38 ft 10 in (11.8m)
Height:	14 ft. 5 in (4.4m)
Wing Area:	313.4 sq. ft (29.1 sq. m)
Weight (empty):	13,836 lb. (6,276kg) Combat: 24,296 lb. (11,020kg)
Armament	: Four fixed forward-firing 20mm cannons in the nose.Two 1,000 lb. (454kg) bombs or two 750 lb. (340kg) napalm tanks or eight 5-inch HVAR rockets or one 1,200 lb. (544kg) tactical nuclear weapon
Serial number:	USAF 53-1300