More Korea

On Tue, 8 Mar 2016 07:10:44 -0800, Savageduck
wrote:

On 2016-03-08 14:08:24 +0000, said:

On Tue, 08 Mar 2016 00:11:15 -0800, "Bob (not my real pseudonym)"
wrote:

On Mon, 7 Mar 2016 10:03:06 -0800, Savageduck
wrote:

On 2016-03-07 14:27:22 +0000, said:

On Sun, 6 Mar 2016 19:12:19 -0600, "Byker" wrote:

This picture is included in a display at the USAF Museum to honour
Australia's contribution to a USAF fighter wing in the Korean War.

Along with the Australians there was the South African AF SAAF 2nd
Sqdrn which started out in F-51D's and then converted to F-86's.

During a visit to Mojave, CA back in 1986, I saw four ex-SAAF Sabres
in "kit form" stored between buildings. Still in full camo and
markings.

Hard to get photos, and I was suffering from a raging case of Jerry
Brown's Revenge. TMI.

Nitpicky me!

This is really a Canadair CL13B Sabre Mk6 (powered by an Avro Canada
Orenda) and would not have seen action in Korea. (First flight of the
Mk 6 was November 1954.)

The USAF loaned SAAF a number of F86Fs to replace their F51s in Korea.
After the cease-fire (I hate to say "end of hostilities") these were
returned to the USA.

Correct. The 20 loaner F-86's, minus 4 lost in combat were returned to
the US when the SAAF unit returned to South Africa in 1954. The SAAF
then had several squadrons of Canadair Sabres in service until the
mid-1960's.

What I don't understand is why any Canadian-built Sabres were returned
to the USA unless, of course, the US funded their construction.

There were some very odd Cold War funding arrangements in the 50s and
60's. Those made for South Africa were some of the oddest due to the
arms embargo in place. The SAAF managed to get a few Buccaneers before
the UK stopped delivery of the full order. The back door was wide open,
and with French, Italian and Israeli deals the SAAF got Mirage IIIs,
South African built Aermacchi's, and the co-developed, Dassault Mirage
derived, Kfir-Cheetah.


Another odd arrangement, probably also a funding issue, was painting
RAF Canadair Sabres into USAF colours for their delivery flight to the
Italian AF.