The first American jet to take advantage of a swept wing, which greatly increased high-speed performance. It was the classic adversary of the MiG-15 in the Korean war, and achieved a kill-to-loss ratio of 7 to 1 over that aircraft (though this was due mostly to superior pilot training and skill). Sabres did not carry missiles in USAF service, but these were later retrofitted by the Nationalist Chinese in 1958. It was one of these F-86's that scored the world's first kill using an air-to-air missile (a Sidewinder).
