Camo Dogs

The F-86D was the rocket-armed interceptor version of the famous F-86 Sabre. It found its way into the air forces of many NATO countries, as well as some outside of NATO. The majority of these interceptors were left in their natural metal state, with paint being used for national insignia and unit markings. One country, however, decided to camouflage all of its Sabre Dogs. Two other countries have displayed camouflaged Dogs, however. Both the U.S. and Greece have camouflaged at least one F-86D, and possibly more. Below is an outline of each of these three country's camouflaged Sabre Dogs.


Yugoslavia apparently camouflaged its F-86Ds in a green and grey pattern, with the undersurfaces finished in the same shade of grey as the upper surfaces. The colors seem to be a close match to the British grey/green camouflage that has been seen on Phantoms and Jaguars. The exact color match is unknown to me. The above example is a much weathered version on display somewhere in Yugoslavia. Of interest is the luggage rack mounted on the rocket pack visible just in front of the wing. The image on the left shows two F-86Ds in active service. Here you can see the different number style used for service machines.


The Greek example seen in color above is on display somewhere in Greece. I believe it was camouflaged after retirement, most likely to aid in preventing corrosion of the metal airframe. The colors appear to be faded examples of the USAF SEA camouflage of Dark Green (34079), Medium Green (34102), and Tan (30219), with Light Grey (36622) undersurfaces. It is hard to tell whether the undersurfaces are finished in grey or not. It has the standard Hellenic roundels and fin flash, with a serial number of 210067 stencilled in the back. Whether this is real or fictitious is unknown.


I don't have any photographic proof of this Air National Guard F-86D. The reference I got this from just had a side view drawing of it, but since it is camouflaged, I thought I would include it anyway. It is finished in a non-standard color scheme, with the colors being Zinc Chromate Green, Tan Special (20400), Brown Special (20140), and Light Grey (36622). The plane was seen at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho in 1962. No serial number or ANG identification except for the ANG emblem on the tail. The fuselage and upper wing star-bar are black and grey, while the undersurface ones are a dark grey outline. Any information on this, or any other camouflaged F-86Ds, would be greatly appreciated. Email me if you have any information.

Sources:

Arco Aircam
Koku-Fan