CAC Sabre
| CAC Sabre | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| CAC CA-27 Sabre, c. 1953 | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| National origin | United States / Australia |
| Manufacturer | Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation |
| First flight | 3 August 1953 |
| Introduction | 1954 |
| Retired | 1971 (Royal Australian Air Force) 1982 (Indonesian Air Force) |
| Status | Retired, 1 active as a warbird |
| Primary users | Royal Australian Air Force Indonesian Air Force Royal Malaysian Air Force |
| Produced | 1953-61 |
| Number built | 112 |
| Developed from | North American F-86 Sabre |
The CAC Sabre, sometimes known as the Avon Sabre or CA-27, is an Australian variant of the North American Aviation F-86F Sabre fighter aircraft. The F-86F was redesigned and built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). Equipping five RAAF squadrons, the type saw action in the Malayan Emergency in the late 1950s, and was employed for air defence in Malaysia and Thailand in the 1960s. Ex-RAAF models also saw service with the Royal Malaysian Air Force and the Indonesian Air Force.
In 1951, CAC obtained a licence agreement to build the F-86F.
In a major departure with the North American blueprint, it was decided that the CA-27 would be powered by a licence-built version of the Rolls-Royce Avon R.A.7, rather than the General Electric J47. In theory, the Avon was capable of more than double the maximum thrust and double the thrust-to-weight ratio of the J47. This necessitated a re-design of the fuselage, as the Avon was shorter, wider and lighter than the J47. Over 60 percent of the fuselage was altered and there was a 25 percent increase in the size of the air intake. Because of the engine change the type is sometimes referred to as the "Avon Sabre".
CAC engineers made two other major alterations to the F-86F design:
Changes were also made to the cockpit layout and to provide
A prototype, given the CAC designation CA-26 001 (A94-101), flew for the first time on 3 August 1953.
Production Sabres were designated CA-27 and the first deliveries to the Royal Australian Air Force began in 1954, with the RAAF serial prefix A94. The first batch of aircraft, powered by the Avon 20, were designated CAC Sabre Mk 30. Between 1957 and 1958 the wing slats of these aircraft were removed, after which the type was redesignated Mk 31. These Sabres were supplemented by 20 new aircraft, built to Mk 31 standard. A third and final block of 69 Sabres, with the Avon 26 engine and completed in 1961, were given the designation Mk 32.
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