Canadair
CL-13 Sabre
The Canadair CL‑13 Sabre was a Canadian‑built version of the North American F‑86 that entered service in the early 1950s. After the Royal Canadian Air Force placed an order for 200 aircraft, Canadair began production in 1950 at its Montreal plant, eventually delivering more than 800 Sabres to Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and other nations. The aircraft combined a sleek swept‑wing design with a powerful General Electric J47‑GN‑17 turbojet, generating 5,200 pounds of thrust and achieving a top speed of roughly 685 mph at altitude. Its armament typically consisted of six .50‑caliber machine guns, with later models carrying rockets or air‑to‑air missiles. Innovative features such as a hydraulically boosted control system and leading‑edge slats gave the Sabre excellent maneuverability in the transonic regime, allowing it to dominate dogfights during the Korean War. The CL‑13 proved essential in modernising Canada’s fighter fleet, transitioning the RCAF from propeller‑driven aircraft to jet power, and it helped establish Canadair as a credible aerospace manufacturer on the world stage. Its legacy endures in museums and in the influence it had on subsequent Canadian jet designs.
