1/48 Pakistan AF Mk-VI Sabre

 circa 1971

by  Haroon

  Pakistan Independence Day 2004 

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13the June 1956 was the start of Pakistan Air Forces love affair with the F-86 Sabre.
The Mk VI Sabre and its American couterpart F-86 are by far the most popular aircrafts to have served with the PAF and was part of its inventory for 24yrs from 1956 till exhausting their airframe life in 1980.  The Sabre was responsible for the first kill of PAF when Flight Lieutenant M Yunis shot down an Indian Air Force (IAF) Canberra, which intruded into Pakistani territory on 10th Apr 1959. The F-86 performed brilliantly in the 1965 war in which Squandron Leader MM Alam became an Ace during an epic battle over PAF Sargodha.    
 

Click on images below to see larger images

 
After the Pakistan-India war of 1965 and the resulting embargo on US Military aid forced Pakistan to look to other sources for inducting new planes. This was done by purchasing the F-6 (Mig-19) from China and the Mirage III from France.
 
In 1966, PAF went on to further increase its Sabre fleet by procuring 90 ex-Luftwaffe Orenda engined Mk VI Sabres ( known as the F-86E in PAF service). They were delivered to the PAF in a secret negotiation between Iran and Pakistan, where they went to Iran for overhaul, but never went back to Germany.  The Sabre went on to reap further glory in the 1971 war when it was responsible for downing two superior IAF Mig-21FL. The MK VI's were powered by the Orenda 14 engines and that could take the plane to well over 50,00 feet.
 

Regards,

Haroon 

PS. Special thanks to Adam and Mr Nakamoto at the Achtung Japan Hobby Shop and Ahson Aftab who got me interested in PAF scale modelling.  

Sources: 

Photos and text © by Haroon