- Yes, as a tech tree vehicle
- Yes, as a premium vehicle
- Yes, as an event vehicle
- Yes, as a squadron vehicle
- No, I would not like to see the Sabre Mk.30 in game.
Given caption: “WILLIAMTOWN, NSW. 1955-07. THE ENGINEER OFFICER NO 2 (F) OPERATIONAL TRAINING UNIT RAAF, SQUADRON LEADER T L WALKELY WITH SENIOR NCOS OF MAINTENANCE SECTION IN FRONT OF A CAC AVON SABRE ON DISPLAY WITH THE RANGE OF WEAPONS IT CAN CARRY. (DONOR: R.C. CRESSWELL)” (source)
TL;DR
- Interceptor derivative of the early F-86F
- Operated solely by Australia
- The lightest of CAC’s Sabres
- F-86A type wings retain automatic slats
- Earliest examples fielded low velocity ADEN cannons
- Limited ordnance
Why it should be in the game: Considering the positive reception to the Mk.32, I think it’s only natural that the Mk.30 be considered for addition to the game. Of the remaining CAC Sabres, it’s a more interesting addition than the Mk.31, though the latter might make an okay premium vehicle. The Mk.30 would fit very well preceding the Mk.32 in a folder in the British tech tree similar to how the F-86A leads to the F-86F in the American tree. It will be a trickier plane to operate because of the F-86A’s wings giving better instantaneous performance at the cost of sustained performance. Therefore I think it’s reasonable to say this plane would be a good fit at 8.7.
As an aside, it’s said that the earliest examples of the CA-27 were fitted with low velocity ADEN 3M (Mk.1) cannons. These cannons fire a 30x86B shell with a much lower muzzle velocity of 600 m/s, but its ammunition is even more potent. Giving the Mk.30 this cannon could make it stand out more compared to the Mk.32 but also more frustrating to play, so I decided to create a poll to ask for your thoughts. If the reception to the ADEN 3M is positive, it might be worth assessing existing early British aircraft (e.g. Hunter F.1 and Swift F.1) to determine whether the low velocity ADEN would make them more interesting at their battle ratings.
- ADEN 3M (low velocity but filler on par with the MK 108)
- ADEN Mk.4 (standard ADEN in game)
- I would not like to see the Sabre Mk.30 in game.
History
Given caption: “The prototype Avon Sabre seen here when it was an instructional airframe. Now with the RAAF Museum, Point Cook.” (source)
Unlike the SAAF, who were able to experience the F-86F for themselves in Korea, the Australian acquisition of the Sabre actually starts in the opening months of the Korean War, when American industry was in full gear developing new vehicles in response to the conflict. Due to its relative proximity to Korea, Australia was equally concerned with the war, if not more so. Between the war and wanting to replace the Vampires anyway, they ramped up their procurement efforts in 1950. While the Australian government had ordered Hawker’s P.1081 in quantity, Lawrence Wackett, head of Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, was of the opinion that the Hawker plane was lacking. Therefore he went to Britain and the U.S. to shop around. What he found in Britain was that Hawker was working on a new fighter (which would later be known as the Hunter) and wasn’t really supporting the P.1081 anymore. He dismissed the Supermarine Type 541 and turned his attention to America. While Australia had asked about the Grumman F9F and gotten nowhere with it, North American proved to be more receptive to the idea of providing the F-86 Sabre. Wackett came up with the idea to put the more powerful Rolls-Royce Avon engine into the Sabre’s airframe and recommended this over the P.1081. His influence and that of his peers convinced the RAAF to pursue this course of action. Fortunately for him, this decision didn’t lead to protracted development time and the prototype CA-26 was ready to fly in 1953.
Given caption: “Crashed near Newcastle, NSW, on September 12, 1957. Pilot ejected. Silvestri collection photo” (source)
The CA-27 Sabre Mk.30 entered production in 1954 and became Australia’s main interceptor aircraft. It was the first Australian-operated aircraft to break the speed of sound, albeit in a dive. Compared to the General Electric J47, the Avon Mk.20 offered significantly more thrust. The Sabre wasn’t without problems, though. Engine surges from the muzzle blast of the new ADEN 30mm cannons took time to rectify with new muzzle baffles and eventually the Avon Mk.26 which was tweaked for reliability. The guns also had to be upgraded early on since the first examples of the CA-27 used low velocity ADEN 3M cannons which were quickly declared obsolete by the RAF (the primary suppliers of the gun.) The Sabre also wasn’t 100% built in Australia due to lack of adequate tooling and facilities. This was a necessary compromise but the aircraft was quite expensive. The early Sabre wing type had the same deficiencies as experienced by the USAF, so the Sabre Mk.31 was developed with the rigid F-86F type wing. The opportunity was taken to integrate fighter-bomber capability with this new mark and most if not all Mk.30s were converted to Mk.31s. It seems like Mk.30s were all upgraded to the new standard by 1960 if not earlier, so they likely did not see combat in Malaysia. The CAC Sabre overall lasted until 1971 in RAAF service.
Specifications
Sabre Mk.30
Dimensions:
- Length: 72 ft 6 in (22.10 m)
- Span: 84 ft 0 in (25.60 m)
- Height: 15 ft 0 in (4.57 m)
Weight: (estimate based on early F-86F S.A.C. + ~100 lb)
- ~11,400 lb (~5,171 kg) basic
- ~15,000 lb (~6,804 kg) loaded
- ~18,000 lb (~8,165 kg) maximum
Propulsion: 1 x Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.20 (7,250 lbf (3,289 kgf) static thrust @ 7,950 RPM)
Maximum speed:
- ~695 mph (~1,119 km/h)
Armament:
- Guns:
- Early production: 2 x 30mm ADEN 3M autocannon (162 rounds/gun; 324 rounds total)
- Late production: 2 x 30mm ADEN Mk.4 autocannon (162 rounds/gun; 324 rounds total)
- Rockets:
- Up to 16 x 3" RP-3
- Drop tanks:
- Up to 2 x 200 gal. drop tank
Crew: 1
Additional equipment:
- Airbrakes
- AN/APG-56 ranging radar
- Ejection seat
Sources
- https://www.key.aero/article/creating-australian-sabre
- https://www.gunnies.com.au/sites/default/files/THE%20RAAF%20and%20the%20Revolver%20Cannon%20(Gunnies).pdf
- North American F-86F Sabre
- Making sure you're not a bot!
- Client Challenge
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxpGy1iU3l8
- https://web.archive.org/web/20190715052323/http://www.alternatewars.com/SAC/F-86F-1_Thru_-20_Sabre_(Slatted_LE)_SAC_-_1_October_1956.pdf
