How many straight-wing FJ-1 Furys were built?

Short answer

30 FJ-1 Furys were built: the initial order for 100 units was cut back to just 30 and the other 70 were cancelled. Its design was finalised before German research into swept wings became available, and an evolution of the FJ-1 led to the F-86 Sabre's XP-86 prototype.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How many straight-wing FJ-1 Furys were built?

F-86Fs 51FIW over Korea 1953

Thirty aircraft from an order for a hundred

The initial order for 100 units was cut back to just 30. In the end, 30 aircraft were built and 70 more were cancelled. The FJ-1's design was finalised before German research into swept-wing aerodynamics became available.

The seed of the Sabre

An evolution of the FJ-1 would become the land-based XP-86 prototype of the highly influential US Air Force F-86 Sabre. That first XP-86 prototype, company designation NA-140 and serial number 45-59597, was ready for its first flight on 1 October 1947 at Muroc Dry Lake, in the high desert north of Los Angeles, California, after three years of development that consumed 801,386 engineering hours and 340,594 drafting hours.

The XP-86's engine

The XP-86 was fitted with a General Electric J35-C-3 turbojet producing 4,000 lbf (18 kN) of thrust. That engine was designed by General Electric and built by Chevrolet. General Motors' Chevrolet division manufactured it until production passed to Allison.