Canadair Sabre (CL-13)
The Montreal-built Sabre — Orenda-powered in its final form and flown by a dozen air forces · First flight 1950 · Built 1950–1958
Canadair built the Sabre under licence in Montreal from 1950 to 1958 to replace the RCAF's de Havilland Vampires; the first one flew on 9 August 1950. The early marks used the General Electric J47 — the Mk 2 had the all-flying tailplane of the F-86E, and 60 Mk 2s went to the US Air Force. Most of the 438 Mk 4s went to the Royal Air Force. The single Mk 3 tested the Avro Canada Orenda 3, and in it Jacqueline Cochran set a 100 km record of 1,050.15 km/h on 18 May 1953 and became the first woman to exceed the speed of sound.
The Mk 5 introduced the Orenda 10 and the definitive Mk 6, 655 of which were built, the more powerful Orenda 14 of 32.4 kN, giving 1,122 km/h at sea level. West Germany's new Luftwaffe took 75 Mk 5s and 225 Mk 6s from 1957, using its last Mk 6 for training until 1983. Pakistan later bought 90 ex-Luftwaffe Mk 6s, armed with AIM-9 Sidewinders, which were the backbone of its air force in the 1971 war.
Ex-RCAF and ex-RAF Sabres also equipped Italy (179 Mk 4s), Greece (120 Mk 4s), Turkey (107 Mk 2s) and Yugoslavia, and South Africa bought 34 Mk 6s. In Canada the type is remembered through the Golden Hawks, formed in 1959 for the RCAF's 35th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of flight in Canada; the team flew the Mk 5 and then the Mk 6 from 1961, and gave 317 shows before it was disbanded on 7 February 1964.
